Arthur Kirkland and the Escargot of Doom
by ecrire.claustrum
Summary: Things get crazy when Francis accidentally discovers Arthur's secret world hidden inside the closet, where a cast of oddly familiar creatures and a magical adventure awaits them. Most if not all nations mentioned.
1. Chapter 1

**Just something that started out as a way to beat boredom during Film class that escalated into a chapter story. While only two characters show up in this chapter, I can assure you that more pop up as the story moves along. **

**Things you should know: Human names are used (but with descriptions on who the characters are) and there will be swearing innuedos in future chapters. By pairing neutral I mean that there are no set pairings, but I did give hints to quite a few of them so you can choose to see them or not. **

**Disclaimer: The plot is of my own creation, but the characters are not.**

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Once upon a time, there was a magical land where creatures of all sorts walked. Unicorns, fawns, elves and fairies all lived in harmony among the wildflowers. Frolicking among them was a blond haired man in a toga with large eyebrows. This is the hidden kingdom of the fairy king Arthur Kirkland.

He pranced and danced with his magical friends under the starry night sky. Just as "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls came on, the clock tower struck six in the evening. Arthur stopped mid-dance. "I'm sorry, my loyal subjects, but I have dinner with a ridiculous American to attend. Pip pip, cheerio!" With a wave of his wand, he was gone.

Arthur popped back into his house in a cloud of sparkling dust. No longer in his toga and crown, he straightened his tie and looked around. He had prepared and cleared the room ahead of time and all he had to do was cook the dinner.

"On to the kitchen then, chaps!" he said to himself. Soon all was ready. The lavishly furnished room was clean and pristine and a small round table set for two was at the center. The soft glow from candles lent the room their light. A fantastic meal of Shepherd's Pie and fish & chips were laid out at the table. It was perfect.

Satisfied with a job well done, Arthur took his seat. All that was left to do was to wait for Alfred.

Two hours had passed. The dinner was cold and the candles were dimming. Still, no Alfred. Needless to say that Arthur was pretty pissed. "Where the bloody hell is he?" he cursed. "Two hours late. The prat…"

Just then the slamming of the door and footsteps echoed through the house. As they drew closer Arthur turned around ready to scold the late comer. However, it was not Alfred who peered in.

"Bonjour!" said a cheerful voice. Arthur jumped up in shock.

"What in the name of Charlie the Unicorn are you doing here?!" he yelled.

Francis pouted. "Is that any way to treat a guest?" he asked.

"I didn't invite you!" Arthur roared. "Don't just waltz in whenever you please! And what are you doing? Don't eat that!"

Ignoring the raging Brit, Francis took a bite of fish and gagged. "Ugh! This tastes horrible!"

"Oh, you think so?" Arthur asked, hiding his disappointment. But he shook his head and flared up. "Hey, you don't need to eat it anyway! I never invited you over!"

Francis, however, waved him off. "_Mon cher_, I do not need an invitation. Now where is your kitchen?" He walked around and began to open doors at random. Arthur followed him screaming "You can't go stomping in here and opening my doors! Are you listening?"

"Your house has so many doors." Francis said, opening a door that lead to the library. "How do you not get lost?"

As Arthur was about to forcibly drag him away, the next door opened to reveal a large closet. Inside were coats, shirts, suits, shoes, and…

"Ohoho, what is this?" Before Arthur could stop him Francis reached in and pulled out a maid's outfit. "Is this a costume? Oohlala~"

Arthur snatched it away. "None of your business."

But now Francis was searching through the rest of his clothes. He stepped inside and went in deeper, hoping to find more cute outfits in the back.

"Ahh! No! Don't go in there!" Arthur yelped, trying to drag Francis out.

"Why? Is there a cowboy outfit in here, too?" Francis shrugged him off and laughed.

Arthur was really panicking. "No, just more coats. Now out!"

Francis wasn't listening. He kept walking deeper and deeper into the closet looking for the back, dragging Arthur in with him.

But he never found the back of the closet.

"What the…?"

He found something very different instead.

[End Chapter 1]

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**What's that? A cliffhanger so early on? Oh dear...**


	2. Chapter 2

**While I haven't had the chance to reply to them, thank you very much for the reviews! To all those who added this story to their alerts, thanks as well! Perhaps give a review at the end of this chapter?**

**Yes, they seem short now, but I can promise you they get longer the further we get into the story. But for now enjoy this chapter, where Francis finds out where the closet leads to.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own countries nor the characters, but the plot is mine.**

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"_Sacre bleu_!" Francis said in awe. "Your closet is much bigger than I thought it was."

"Bloody hell. Bloody freakin' hell. No, no, no!" Arthur cursed while still trying to pull Francis back.

They were standing at the edge of a large meadow, where daisies and buttercups were sprinkled around the green field. Animals were grazing or simply standing in groups all around. But these weren't your typical animals. Horse-like creatures with a single horn on their foreheads stood with half-man half-goat creatures with a goatee on their chins. A brilliant clear blue sky hung over them and a gentle breeze had the flowers swaying.

This was no closet.

Francis stared in awe at the scene in front of him. He had seen many spectacular things but never something like this before. "This is amazing." He whispered.

"T-this? Oh, this is nothing." Arthur stuttered. He had long since abandoned the idea of dragging the French man out. "It's nothing at all. In fact, it's just a…a…" He looked around frantically. A what? A what?

"A dream! It's all just a dream!" he announced and waved his arms in front of Francis' face. "Wooooooooh!"

Francis swatted him away. "This is no dream. This is magic!" he yelled to the sky. The unicorns and fawns around them looked up, startled at the noise. Francis immediately ran through the field, stopping in front of each magical creature and calling out a cheery "Bonjour!"

As Francis pranced among the confused creatures, Arthur slapped his forehead and groaned. "Sacre bleu indeed."

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-Back in the Modern World-

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The door to Arthur's house slammed open. In strode a young man with blond hair, glasses, and a bomber jacket. He stopped in the entrance hall and grinned confidently. "Hey there! Sorry I'm late!" Alfred called out. No one replied. "Huh? Arthur?"

He walked around and opened doors. "Arthur!" he said into each room. "Sorry I'm late. Needed to settle a few things with Cuba but I'm here now. Ready to discuss our invasion of Korea's vital regions?" Still no reply. Alfred was getting worried.

He came upon the open closet door, where Francis and Arthur were currently in. Alfred peeked inside, found nothing and shut the door. "Damn, where is he?"

Soon Alfred had checked every room and couldn't find him anywhere. "Either Arthur decided to leave without telling me," he said, "or he was...kidnapped!"

He ran to the nearest table and jumped up on to it. Pumping his fist into the air he cried out, "This looks like a job for the hero!" After a brief pause in that form, he leaped off the table and ran out of the house to get his supplies, with no way of knowing that it would be Arthur and Francis doing the hero work very soon.

[End Chapter 2]

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**The thought of Alfred showing up at Arthur's empty house was just too tempting. Can someone say sub-plot?**

**And YOU can be a HERO too, just by clicking that review button! WHOOSH~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yet another character appears in the story! Who could it be this time? On an unrelated note, my socials class is doing a project on World War One right now, and I'm supposed to research Russia's part of the war. Needless to say, history has never been more fun.**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter and find out what Arthur plans to do now that Francis knows about his magical world.**

**Disclaimer: The characters of Hetalia do not belong to me, as I am not a Japanese man.**

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Francis was having almost as much fun as he had last week at the playground. He skipped along the meadow with the unicorns and the fawns. He sang songs in French and twirled around. The magical creatures didn't join in, however, and instead watched him from a distance, open mouthed. It did not get better when he began to take off his shirt.

"Gah! Stop it this instant!" Arthur shouted. He ran forward and grabbed the hem of the French man's shirt and tugged it down.

"Aw, what a spoil sport." Francis pouted. "They were enjoying it!"

"I'm sorry to say that we were not enjoying such a strange and disturbing sight." Came a voice. Francis turned and saw a unicorn staring straight at him.

"D-did you say that?" Francis eyed the unicorn carefully.

The unicorn nodded its beautiful head. "Indeed, it was I."

"EEEEYYYAAAHHHH!" Francis jumped back in fright. "Arthur, the unicorn, it spoke!"

Ignoring Francis, Arthur spoke to the unicorn. "I apologize for his actions. It is his first, and hopefully last, time here."

The unicorn bowed. "It is alright, your majesty. I shall leave you two be and tell the other creatures to treat your friend with kindness and respect." It walked away, leaving the Europeans.

Francis turned to Arthur, his mouth hanging open. "It just spoke." Arthur nodded. "And in full sentences, too. With such…language. He sounded so dignified!"

"More than I can say about you." Arthur mumbled. "Come along, you've been here long enough." He grabbed his wrist and tugged him back towards the closet, Francis still gaping at where the unicorn had stood.

"Wait a second," Francis said. "That talking unicorn called you 'your majesty'."

Arthur turned his head away. "Did he, now? Oh look, we're here!" They stopped in front of a solid wooden door. Arthur turned the knob but the door wouldn't open.

"Oh bloody hell." He pushed on the door but it wouldn't budge. He tried and tried again but it stayed shut. "No, no, no!"

"Why won't it open?" Francis asked.

Arthur grunted. "Someone's closed the door on the other side." He gave the door one great push but to no avail. He sighed and began to walk away.

Francis jogged to catch up. "Where are we going, now?"

Without looking back Arthur replied, "To my palace."

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-Back in the Modern World-

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"Why am I here, Alfred?"

"Because every good hero needs a good sidekick!" Alfred slapped the blond haired man's back.

"Ouch! Don't hit so hard!" he fixed his glasses, which were knocked askew. "What if you had made me drop Kumajirou? Then where would I be?"

"Who?" the polar bear asked.

"Matthew! My name is Matthew!" he sighed. Why couldn't anyone remember his name?

Alfred pulled on a pair of rubber gloves and began walking around the house with Matthew at his heels. "When I came here last night for my dinner with Arthur –"

"Two hours late."

"Whatever." Alfred continued. "When I arrived I couldn't find him anywhere. I looked all over and the house was empty!"

"Maybe he just left. He got tired of waiting and decided to look for you or something." Matthew suggested.

"This is Arthur we're talking about. I've been later. Besides, none of the neighbours have seen him leave the house." Alfred poked through the inside of a drawer.

He looked around some more going from one room to another, carefully inspecting each one. Matthew gave in and decided to look, too, if only to please his brother.

Soon both reached the room where Arthur had been waiting. The table was still set and the dinner cold.

"You see!" Alfred said. "Why would he leave without cleaning up, first? He wouldn't let this food go to waste."

Matthew frowned. Yes, it was very unlike Arthur to do such a thing. "Maybe, just maybe, you're right. But who could've taken him and why?"

Alfred didn't answer. He got down to his hands and knees and crawled around, looking for clues. Arthur kept the floor spick and span so anything on the ground had to mean something. He found what he was looking for under one of the armchairs. "Aha!"

"What? What is it? Have you found something?" Matthew rushed over to where the American was.

"Yup, and it's a huge clue. Look!" Alfred pulled out a red flower.

Matthew took it from him. "It's a rose without its stem. How is this a clue?"

"Who do we know that uses roses a lot?" Alfred asked, getting up to his feet.

Matthew bit his lip, deep in thought. "Francis usually has a rose with him, doesn't he?"

Alfred nodded. "He's the only one I know who uses these flowers without their stems."

Matthew studied the flower in his hand. Yes, it did look like the one Francis always used. "W-wait a sec. Are you saying that this is the rose that he uses to…" he looked at Alfred with wide eyes. Alfred gave one swift nod. Matthew threw it to the ground with a yelp.

"Ew, ew, ew!" he grabbed a glass of water off of the table and poured it all over his hands. "I touched it! I touched the flower and the flower touched his…. So that means that I touched _it_ indirectly! GAAAAARRRGHHHH!"

"And that is why you always wear gloves when doing detective work." Alfred bit back a chuckle at Matthew, who had run to the nearest bathroom to vigorously scrub his hands.

"Hurry up disinfecting." He called out. "We need to head over to Francis' house and find out what's up. I have a feeling that he's up to something that involves poor Arthur."

He wasn't exactly far from the truth.

[End Chapter 3]

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**Why yes, I am a proud Matthewian (eh). A new character should be introduced every chapter, so leave a review on who you want to show up! Maybe it'll help me update sooner...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Happy New Year!**

**It's been a while since the last update, eh? I'm terribly sorry but school has taken up all my time. I'm usually, oh, two days behind on math homework. Luckily my teacher hardly collects or I'd be screwed. **

**I introduce another character in this chapter, although not in the way you may think. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Hetalia does not belong to me.**

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"A palace? You have a palace?" Francis gaped at Arthur. "I knew you thought that you were royalty but this is ridiculous!" Arthur ignored him and walked on.

Francis jogged to catch up. "You know, I still have no idea where we are. I mean, this is all in your closet but it doesn't make sense! And you're royalty here, or something? What's that about! Why can't we get out of here, anyway? We got in just fine. Are you listening to me?"

Arthur stopped so abruptly that Francis slammed into him. He turned around and glared at the man. "Shut. The. Bloody. Hell. Up."

"But you haven't answered my questions!" Francis insisted. Sighing, Arthur resumed walking and spoke without looking at him.

"This is the Kingdom of Fairchester. It's a magical land home to many fantastic creatures. Like those unicorns and fawns you saw."

"And they all talk?" Francis asked.

"Of course they all talk! Who else would I talk to?" Arthur snapped.

"Er, people maybe."

Arthur scoffed. "There are no 'humans' here. This is the magical Kingdom of Fairchester! Humans would just ruin how magical it is."

Francis looked at the Brit, confused. "But, unless I am mistaken, aren't you a human?"

Arthur looked at the ground hiding the growing blush on his face. "Notherepersay." He mumbled.

"_Pardon? Repetez, sil'vous plait_." Francis leaned in and Arthur turned away.

"I'mnotahumanherewellyouseeI'mkindofaermfairyanderm…" Arthur mumbled again.

Francis leaned in closer to him. "Pardon? Speak slower."

His face red with embarrassment, Arthur faced the French man and shouted:

"I'M A DAMN FAIRY."

Silence followed.

Francis stared at Arthur, shocked. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. How do you respond to such a thing?

Arthur turned away again. "Hurry up if you want to get out of here."

They resumed their walk and an awkward silence hung in the air. One would glance at the other but quickly turned away. It seemed to have been hours before they finally reached the palace.

When Francis thought he had seen it all something always surprised him. Arthur's palace was the most magnificent structure he had ever seen, even after his Eiffel tower and Arc du Triomphe. It stood tall and proud, it's gleaming white walls contrast against the bright blue sky. There were four towers with a modified version of the British flag waving at the top of each. It was surrounded by a moat and a wide drawbridge lay overtop.

"Wow." Was all Francis could say.

"Get over here, already!" Arthur called from halfway across the drawbridge. "You've already been here far too long!"

"Sacre bleu, Arthur!" Francis gasped. "You really are some kind of royalty, aren't you? This is some castle."

"Thank you." Arthur replied as the gate rose. "Stick close to me and don't wander off. Doing so may get you thrown in the dungeons, and I can't promise that I'll get you out."

Francis clapped him on the back. "Ahaha! You're cooking may be terrible but your sense of humor is –" he stopped abruptly when he saw Arthur's serious face.

The inside of the palace was just as amazing. Magnificent paintings decorated the white walls and magical creatures of all sorts walked the corridors. Fawns with their paperwork, smartly-dressed dwarves rushing to and fro, and intimidating centaurs carrying deadly-looking weapons.

"How are we getting out of here?" Francis asked, eyeing a particularly sharp looking spear nervously.

Arthur replied, "I'm going to get my wand. My _magic_ wand." He added when he saw the smirk on Francis' face. "It's the only way we'll be able to get out."

Francis whistled. "Wow, a magic wand. Some magical land you've got here! Hey, what's that coming towards us?"

One of the fawns that worked in the palace was hurrying towards them. The half-man, half-goat creature looked different from the rest. It wore a glasses and a long, dark purple coat. It also had a mole on its face and one familiar hair sticking out.

"R-Roderich?!" Francis gasped. From up close the fawn really did look like the Austrian back home. It looked at him, confused.

"Yes. How do you know my name?"

Francis stared at it, wide eyed. "I know you! What are you doing in Arthur's magical land?"

Arthur laughed nervously and patted him on the back. Grinning nervously at the fawn he said, "Sorry about him, Roderich. He's new here and is a tad confused. You see, he isn't really too bright up here." He tapped his temple and winked.

"Hey! Did you just call me stupid?!" Francis roared.

"Eheheh, excuse us for a moment." Arthur said to the fawn before pulling Francis to the side.

"Arthur! It's him! It's Roderich! You know, Austria! What is he doing here? And why does he have goat legs?" Francis tugged on his sleeve.

Arthur sighed. "He's not the Roderich you know."

"EHH? But he looks exactly like him! Except for the whole legs thing, of course."

"Don't be daft! He may look a bit like the Roderich we know, but he is a completely different person. Now keep your mouth shut and let me handle this!" Arthur snapped.

They turned back to the confused fawn and smiled. "So sorry, Roderich, but we have no time to chat. I must take my _friend_ here back home in a jiff. We can talk when I come back."

But just as he was about to walk away Roderich grabbed his arm. "Please, your majesty, this is urgent!"

Arthur was persistent. "I'm sure nothing's more urgent than –"

"The prince has been kidnapped!" Roderich yelled.

Everyone in the corridor stopped in their tracks. Arthur looked at him, not believing his ears. No one spoke. No one moved.

It was Francis who broke the silence. "I'm not going home yet, am I?"

[End Chapter 4]

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**Translations:**

_Pardon? Repetez, sil'vous plait_. - [French] Sorry? Repeat that, please?

**My French is lacking. I apologize if it makes you cringe internally. Oh, and Fairchester = Manchester + Fairy. I thought it sounded nice. **

**Now, how about you click that button down there and drop me a review? Reviews are like food to me. You don't want me to starve, do you? ;A;**


	5. Chapter 5

**What? A longer chapter? NO WAY.**

**So Canada and America grace us with their presence once again along with a new character! The identity of the prince is also revealed along with how he went missing.**

**I've got the entire story planned out along with what characters will appear. However, there's always room for more cameos! Review in your request and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and nothing else.**

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"Alright you tomato-loving freak, tell us everything you know." Alfred held the Spaniard up by his collar.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, _señor_." Antonio replied, holding his hands up.

Alfred and Matthew were on a mission, to find out where Arthur Kirkland had disappeared to. So far their only clue was a single rose without its stem, the same rose that Francis was famous for wearing, found on the ground at Arthur's house. Knowing that the French man had a hand in this, they went to his house only to find it empty. So they were now interrogating his neighbour, Antonio.

Alfred looked him in the eye. "Last night at around 6:00 to 8:00 in the evening, did you or did you not see Francis leaving his house due north?"

"Due north?" Antonio asked.

"Due north, due north! On his way to Arthur's house!" Alfred was growing impatient.

"Ah, to Arthur's! _Si_, I saw him!"

"You did?" Alfred tightened his grip and shook him. "Tell me everything you know. The life and purity of an obstinate and irate man is at stake!"

Seeing how confused and rattled Antonio was getting, Matthew decided to step in. "What my brother is trying to say is that we need to know what time Francis left the house and where he was going."

"I would be happy to tell you. But perhaps Alfred could put me down?" Antonio grinned nervously.

Matthew placed a hand on Alfred's shoulder. "Let him down, Al, we're just asking questions."

Alfred nodded and let go of Antonio. "It was all a part of the hero work, Matthew! Now, what do you know?"

"I was tending to my tomatoes when I saw him leaving his house at around 7:30." Antonio answered. "He was heading north, although he could've been going anywhere. He leaves his house at night all the time, visiting other countries. Luckily he had clothes on this time." He chuckled at the thought.

Alfred punched the air. "Aha! So he did leave the house! Just the evidence we need!" he grabbed Antonio's hand and shook it enthusiastically. "As they say in Spain, _thankio señiorita_!" Grabbing Matthew's wrist he dragged him away from the very confused Spaniard.

"Okay, so he did leave his house. And he was headed towards Arthur's place." Matthew said, wrenching free from Alfred's grasp. "What do we do now?"

Alfred smiled at his brother. "Matthew, Matthew, Matthew. As every good detective knows, we must now enter the suspect's home to find any clues that can tell us why he left the house."

"He's the perverted Francis, isn't that reason enough?" Matthew asked.

"Follow me, Matthew!" Alfred exclaimed, completely ignoring him. "As we get closer and closer to finding out what happened to our dear Arthur!"

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-In the Kingdom of Fairchester -

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Arthur stormed down the corridors of the castle, positively fuming. "How could you have let this happen?" he snapped at anyone he passed by. "Who was on guard duty when this happened? I'll have them fired! Roderich!" he said to the fawn that was following close behind.

"Yes your majesty?" he replied.

"I want you to find me the guards that were on duty and bring them to the prince's room to speak with me. NOW!" the fawn nodded and dashed off.

Francis, who had been behind the angry nation the entire time, spoke up when the fawn was out of sight. "Er, Arthur, this may not be the best time, but what about sending me home?"

"Now is not the time. I'll send you back when I find out exactly what happened." Arthur replied without slowing down. "Just stay close to me, don't wander off and don't speak!"

They arrived in front of a dark brown wood door with a "P" carved into its center. Arthur flung it open and entered the room. Besides the beautiful wooden furniture, it certainly looked like a young boys' room – one huge mess. There was no one there to greet them.

Arthur stood there, staring speechless at the room. Francis peeked in from behind him. "He really is gone." Arthur whispered. He walked over to the side table and picked up a framed photograph.

Just then Roderich arrived at the door with three centaurs in armor. "Your majesty, these are the guards that were stationed close to his room."

Arthur turned to face them. "You three," he began, seething, "I thought I hired you to protect this castle and its inhabitants! And I come back and I see that you haven't bloody well done your job!"

He thrust the framed photograph in front their faces. "What happened to this boy?"

Francis looked at photograph. It looked like it was taken in some sort of garden and Arthur, in his toga and crown, was smiling at the camera with an arm wrapped around a young boy's shoulders. The boy was also wearing a toga and had a smaller crown on his head. He also had large eyebrows like Arthur. Francis stared at the face and realized that the prince looked exactly like…

"PETER?!" he shouted, startling everyone in the room. He snatched the frame from Arthur's hands and held it up directly in front of him. "Peter Kirkland? Sealand? _He's_ the prince here? That tiny excuse for a country?" He turned to the other nation and smiled mischievously. "You know he's gonna love this if he finds out. Ohoho~"

Arthur whapped him across the head and snatched back the picture. "He won't ever find out about this. No one will find out about any of this. At all." He gave Francis such a threatening stare that the Frenchman nodded silently.

"Country?" Roderich asked. "Why did he just call Prince Peter a country?"

"Oh don't listen to the rubbish he spouts. Like I said, he isn't too bright." Arthur replied.

"Now back to the matter at hand!" He said the anger in his voice returning. "Tell me everything, every single detail, about what happened to the prince!"

The guards hesitated at first. Roderich nudged one forward and he stood nervously in front of the angry Brit. "Well?" Arthur asked.

The centaur guard gathered his courage and replied, "It happened early this morning. The guards and I were standing outside his room, just like you told us to. Another was just outside. At around five in the morning I heard a loud thump coming from the inside of the room."

"We thought he was sneaking out to go on another of his walks." A particularly tall centaur interjected. "But when we tried to get in something was jamming the door. Then we heard someone cry out inside."

Arthur inhaled sharply at that. The centaur continued, "Since we couldn't get in the old fashioned way we used our spears to break the door down. When we got inside we saw a figure standing by the bed. He had on a large black cloak and hood that covered his face. In his arms was Prince Peter. The figure had a hand over the Prince's mouth and was dragging him away before we burst in."

"And then?" Arthur asked.

"And then we got into attack mode. I tried to drive my spear into him but he moved aside with lightning fast speed!"

"I hurled myself at him to try and get the prince but he waved his hand and I was thrown back instantly!" he pointed his thumb over his shoulder to the other centaur. "I landed on Ronald here when came in to see what the noise was about."

"Then an arrow whizzed just past the guy's ear. Dave shot it from outside. He didn't like that. He sent Dave flying out over the palace grounds. Then, with the Prince still in his arms, he turned on the spot and vanished."

Arthur stared at the guards for a long time, his green eyes ablaze. "And you have no idea who he is?"

One of the centaurs, Ronald, spoke up. "He had the sign on his hood, your majesty."

Even though Francis had no clue what that meant, he was sure it meant something terrible. The atmosphere in the room immediately grew cold with fear and Arthur stiffened slightly.

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked, his voice trembling.

"Positive." Ronald replied. "I saw it before I was knocked away."

"Damn it! Bloody freakin' hell!" Arthur slammed his fist down on the dresser.

Francis asked him, "What sign? What does it mean?"

It was Roderich who answered. "The spiral within a circle. It's the sign of the Evil Warlock."

[End Chapter 5]

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**Translations:**

_Señor_ - [Spanish] Sir

_Thankio señiorita!_ - [Alfred's Personal Spanish] Thanks dude!

**An Evil Warlock? OH NOES. That's no good, he could hurt Prince Peter! In the reviews a couple of you thought America would be the prince. When I read that I thought to myself "That would've been great irony! Alfred thinks he's saving Arthur, but on the flip side Arthur's saving him!" But alas, I have other plans for him and Matthew. Besides, Peter is practically Arthur's son.**

**OMNOMNOM THE LAST REVIEWS WERE TASTY. CAN I HAS MORE? PLEASEEEEE? 8D**


	6. Chapter 6

**I've caught the Olympic bug. Before I was indifferent about it but now I feel the most patriotic than I ever have been. Go Canada Go! Was I the only one that screamed loudly for every Hetalia character during the opening ceremonies?**

**Anyway, another character is introduced in this chapter. Who is it? Let me give you a hint: she may seem all innocent and sweet but she packs one hell of a punch, or whatever you would call using that kitchen item as a weapon. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Plot is mine, characters are not.**

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"I want my army ready for a long journey!" Arthur instructed Roderich, who hastily wrote it down. "That means battle gear, weapons, and packs with provisions ready to go! Put our very best general in charge of the group. You know who I mean! We are going on a rescue mission!"

Roderich nodded and rushed away. Arthur rounded on the guards. "You three have failed in your duty to protect this castle and its inhabitants! Twenty floggings as punishment!"

"Now Arthur, aren't you being a little harsh?" Francis interrupted, sidling up next to the guards. "They tried their best. And this one is so young and handsome…" He gave the centaur a flirty smile only to get a scowl in return. "Well aren't you a feisty one."

"Francis!" Arthur grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away from the guards. "Don't flirt with my soldiers. No!" he said sternly when Francis opened his mouth to speak. "We are going to go and get my wand from the throne room and you are going home!"

Francis' eyes widened. "What? But things just got interesting!"

"That's exactly why you are going. I don't need you in my hair making a mess of things, too!" Arthur responded. He let go of the Frenchman and sat on the prince's bed.

"Er, your majesty?" one of the centaurs asked hesitantly.

Arthur looked up. "Well, why are you still here? You've got a rescue mission to prepare for!" The guards bowed down and left the room in a hurry.

"Why did he take him?" Arthur asked no one in particular. Francis sat down next to him. "I didn't do anything. I mean sure, there was the whole take-over-his-land thing, but that was centuries ago!"

"You sure like taking land that isn't yours, don't you?" Francis said. Arthur glared at him.

"But we both kept to ourselves after that whole ordeal. Why now? Why?" Sighing, he laid his hand next to the pillow and heard the crinkle of paper. "Huh?" He slid his hand under the pillow and pulled out a torn piece of paper. A large chunk of it had been torn away leaving only the top half.

Francis looked over Arthur's shoulder. "What's that?"

"I don't know. But the writing…" Arthur touched the words. It was Peter's hand writing. Arthur read aloud.

_"I saw from my walks outside the palace boundaries two men wearing hooded cloaks in the forest. They had a large bucket in between them that looked like was filled with rocks. They were talking and since I was curious and had nothing better to do I ducked behind a large rock and listened. I'm getting to be really good at spying (so I can listen in on those important royal meetings that jerk King won't let me in) since they didn't see me for a whole ten minutes. But they did see me and I had to run. I got away, duh, but what's really interesting is that they said that they were going to use –"_

The rest had been torn away. "Hooded cloaks? You mean like that guy who took him away?" Francis thought out loud.

Arthur furrowed his large eyebrows in thought. Men that were wearing the same thing as the kidnapper. Peter listening in on their conversation. Them seeing him. Then that would mean…

"Your majesty!" came Roderich's voice. He was standing by the door looking worried.

Arthur stood up, still holding the paper. "Yes?"

"T-the soldiers, they d-don't want to g-go!" Roderich stammered. He flinched at Arthur's explosive reaction.

"WHAT?!" he roared.

Roderich pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "W-well, when I told them it was to rescue the prince they were ready and willing. But when I told them they'd be saving him from the Evil Warlock they all backed out immediately. Too scared to go, sir."

Francis stood up as well. "Too scared?" he repeated. "What's your army made out of, Arthur, Italians?"

"There are no Italians in my army!" Arthur retorted. He turned to Roderich. "Tell they get fifty floggings each if they do not fulfill their duty!"

"I've already told them that they would be in for severe punishment if they didn't, but they still refused."

Arthur let out a long string of curse words. Francis asked in a loud voice, "Why are they so scared, anyway? It's just some wizard with two other guys with a pile of rocks."

"Just some wizard?" Roderich stared at him, shocked. "You really are from out of the kingdom. He isn't just some wizard. He's a warlock, the most powerful magical being in the world. Although he only has a few followers, he can use his powers to raise an army of rock-soldiers. During the last war with him, tens of thousands died on our side alone. It lasted only a few months but the damage was enough to place the kingdom in near ruin. The soldiers have a right to be scared."

"But they also have a duty to perform!" Arthur barked.

Roderich cleared his throat. "Well, your majesty, not _all_ the soldiers are unwilling. There is a small group of soldiers that are ready to fight. The general is also willing to go out there and rescue the prince."

Arthur looked up at him. "How many?" he asked.

"Fifteen, including the general."

"Fifteen…" Arthur sighed. "It's not much, but it's something. Come; let's see the troop, then."

Roderich led them through a long corridor at the back of the palace. It was almost deserted, except for the stray soldier here and there. They bowed to Arthur but he scowled in return. They reached a plain wooden door that when opened revealed a training ground outside. There was an archery range, a small grassy hill, what looked like a special obstacle course designed for hooves, and a large wooden stable. A handful of centaurs were standing by it, chatting among themselves.

"Hem, hem." Roderich said loudly so that the centaurs turned to face them. "Presenting His Royal Highness King Arthur of the Kingdom of Fairchester." He and all the centaurs bowed down and Arthur stepped forward.

"I would first like to say that you are all showing great amounts of courage and loyalty to the crown by coming on this rescue mission." Arthur said. Francis had never heard him speak like this before. His voice was dignified and he chose his words carefully while standing tall and proud.

"You will be rewarded greatly when we return. I thank you all." He looked around the training ground. "Where is my general?"

"I am right here, your majesty." Came a voice behind them. Francis turned and saw not another centaur, but a fawn. A female fawn.

"Elizaveta, General of the Mighty Army of the Kingdom of Fairchester." She bowed down. "I am sorry for arriving here late; I had a few things to attend to last minute."

Francis gaped at her. It couldn't be. Long, sandy brown hair tied in a ponytail. Big green eyes. A flower in her hair. "HUNGARY?!"

Elizaveta looked at him, confused. "Er, no. I just ate."

Arthur shot him a deathly glare and Francis hastily corrected himself. "Oh, you just looked hungry, that's all. I thought it would be polite to ask you."

"Ahaha," Arthur walked forward and slapped Francis a little too hard on the back. "This is Francis. The chap will say the most random things at times, so don't mind him. He's only visiting."

"That's right." Francis stepped forward and placed his hand on his chest. "I'm from the fantastic, magnificent, most noble country of France. Where both the food and the men are simply delicious." He gave her a wink before Arthur could pull him back.

"Yes, moving on. Are you sure that you want to go on this rescue mission?" Arthur asked Elizaveta.

"I will serve the crown faithfully." She replied. "Besides, nothing can stop me from kicking some warlock ass!"

"And the troops?"

Elizaveta's smile didn't even falter. "There may not be many of us but we're tough enough to take the Warlock down!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Arthur said proudly. He felt someone tapping on his shoulder and turned around to see Francis.

"Hey, is she really your army general?" he whispered.

"Yes," Arthur replied. "She's been general for twelve years."

"Really?" Francis exclaimed, forgetting to whisper. "But she's not a centaur, she's a fawn! A _girl_ fawn. How can she be an army general?"

CLANG!

"Sacre bleu!" Francis yelped in pain and his hands flew to the top of his head. Something hard and metal had hit him across the head. He looked behind him and saw Elizaveta glaring at him, frying pan in hand.

Arthur laughed. "Still use the frying pan, I see."

"It's a very useful weapon." She replied, eyeing the whimpering Frenchman. "He seems very…weak."

"I am NOT weak!" Francis cried.

"She may be a female fawn, but she's tougher than any centaur out there!" Arthur said, ignoring his protests.

Elizaveta blushed and lowered the frying pan. "Thank you, your majesty." She said.

"No problem." He replied. Then, remembering what was going on, he snapped into full gear. "Now, I trust that you and the soldiers are prepared for the journey?"

Elizaveta nodded. "Bags are almost packed, weapons being polished and sharpened as we speak. I would say we'll be ready to go in ten minutes."

"Very good." He said. "That should be enough time for me to escort my _guest_ back to where he came from."

Francis looked at him, startled. "I'm still going back?"

"Of course!" Arthur said. "This is a serious matter and I can't have you mucking around."

"But it was getting exciting! Can't I stay and see how it's going to turn out?" Francis stepped closer to Arthur and he took a step back, alarmed. "_Si'l vous plait,_ Arthur?"

"N-no!" Arthur said, taking a step back for every step Francis took towards him. "And don't get so close to me, wineface."

"Your majesty, if I could make a suggestion," Elizaveta said. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to have Francis come along with us on the journey."

Arthur looked at her, shocked. "W-what?!"

"She's right, sir." Roderich spoke up. "There aren't many soldiers going on this journey already, an extra hand can't be a bad idea."

"It is if the extra hand is his!" Arthur retorted.

"He could be a help, even if he is weak." Elizaveta continued.

"Yes, I've had experience in wars and fights." Francis added. "I know what to do."

Arthur scoffed. "Rubbish. You were occupied by the Germans in World War Two, you lost Canada to me, and you know that I still can kick your ass."

"Your majesty, we need all the help we can get." Elizaveta said.

"We're strong enough, we can handle it." Arthur replied.

"I promise I won't tell anyone when we get back." Francis said.

"You bloody well won't. Even if you did no one would believe you." Arthur smirked.

"If you don't, I'll tell everyone about the maid's outfit!"

Arthur was silent for a moment. "Bloody bastard." He muttered to himself. "Fine, you can come. Now where's my toga?"

[End Chapter 6]

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**Translations:**

_Si'l vous plait _-[French] Please

**I thought Hungary would make a fine addition to the army, don't you think? I was toying around with the idea of having Ludwig be the general, but I decided that having Elizaveta take on the role would be more unexpected and appropriate. That girl kicks ass.**

**Now click that button down there and review! C'mon, it's Arthur in a toga. How can you resist?**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I've decided to alternate between the events in Fairchester (the main plot) and the events in the normal world (the sub plot). That way I can tell both stories, enhance the irony and alternate universe feel of the story, and leave nasty cliffhangers. But they won't alternate one directly after the other, perhaps Al and Matt will show up after three rounds in Fairchester. Who knows.**

**Anyway, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.**

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Matthew was not a happy camper. He has been dragged around by his half-wit brother to search for Arthur, he touched the flower Francis uses to conceal his 'Eiffel Tower', he was missing the new Corner Gas episode, and to top it all off he had just climbed through a now broken window into an empty house to search through someone else's possessions.

"There's a name for this sort of thing, Alfred."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" his brother asked, already looking through drawers.

"Breaking and entering." Matthew said.

Alfred didn't stop searching when he replied, "No, this is detective work! A completely different thing."

"You're not a real detective, though. Besides, even if you were you can't just search through someone's house anytime you want. You still need the proper paper work and good reasons as to why –" Matthew stopped talking and looked at his brother. Alfred appeared not to have heard him. Matthew sighed in exasperation. Sometimes he wondered whether he really was invisible or if Alfred was simply ignoring him. Giving in, he sat Kumajirou down on the couch and began looking around too.

Matthew went through the drawers in the desk. He pushed aside old newspapers and memos until he came upon what looked like a thick book. "Oh, look Alfred, a photo album!" he said when he pulled it out. Curious, he flipped through the pages.

"GAAAAAAHHHH!" he threw the book across the room and clapped his hands over his eyes, screaming.

"Huh? What's wrong, Matt?" Alfred asked.

"My eyes!" Matthew screamed. "Oh, my eyes! They burn! My sweet Canadian innocence! Gone!"

"You mean that after having Francis take care of you for how many years you still have your innocence?" Alfred looked genuinely shocked.

He walked over to where the album had landed and picked it up. "Don't open it!" Matthew told him frantically. But being the hero he was, Alfred flipped to a random page and smiled triumphantly.

"Hey, these pictures aren't bad. It's like a family album." Alfred said, showing Matthew the page.

"Once you get past all those scarring pictures, sure." Matthew mumbled, but he looked at the album page.

"Oh look, it's me, Francis and Arthur at my place!" Alfred pointed to a picture.

Matthew looked at the photograph. "Oh yeah, and there's me over there!"

"There's me introducing the hamburger to Francis in this picture." Alfred continued as though not having heard his brother.

"And here's one of me showing poutine to Arthur with Francis laughing in the background." Matthew said the same time Alfred pointed to another picture.

"Here's another group picture! Me in between Francis and Arthur. Look at how awesome I look!"

"And I'm over here, next to Arthur!" Matthew chimed in.

Alfred squinted. "Huh? What are you talking about? You aren't in any of these pictures."

"Yes I am! Over here!" Matthew jabbed a finger onto the picture.

"Who?" Kumajirou asked from the couch.

"Me! Mat-thew!" he sighed. Even in pictures…

"Well, no use standing around looking at old memories!" Alfred said. "Back to searching!" he slammed the book shut – with Matthew's finger still in it – and started pulling books off the bookshelf.

After freeing his aching finger, Matthew returned to the desk and took out a stack of papers. As he was scanning them for clues something hit his head. "Ow," Matthew picked it up. "Eh? Where did this pen – hey!" He shouted when a picture frame whizzed past his ear. Matthew turned and saw Alfred tossing pens, papers, books, and more over his shoulder.

"Alfred! What are you doing?! Don't make a mess, you can't just throw things around!" Matthew ducked and a stapler flew over his head.

"No, no, no!" Alfred said. "This doesn't help our case!" He tossed a handful of papers in the air and Matthew tried in vain to catch them all. He managed to snatch one out of the air and glanced at the writing.

"Eh?" he looked at the paper. "A list of names? Hey Alfred I think I have some –"

KA-THUNK!

Matthew fell to the ground when a particularly large book hit him on the head, the sheet of paper fluttering out of his hand.

"Did you call me over? Hey, what's this?" Alfred picked up the paper and examined the writing. "It's a list in Francis' writing! Matt, I think I found another clue!" He looked around excitedly and found Matthew on the floor in front of him. "What are you doing on the ground? This is no time to rest!"

Groaning in pain, Matthew slowly sat up. "Sorry, I was just hit with sudden exhaustion."

Alfred showed him the paper. Names were listed from the top to the bottom of the page, some crossed out in red ink. "Wonder what this is for. There's no title."

Matthew took the list from him and read out the names. "Yao, Lovino, Feliciano, Kiku, Roderich, Toris, Raivis, Heracles.... Everyone's on here!"

"Even Vash is on here! No one in their right mind would try to do anything to that trigger-happy Swiss." Alfred said.

"And look!" Matthew pointed to the name under Heracles' crossed out one. "It looks like Arthur's next!"

He turned to Alfred, eyes wide. "This could be proof that Francis was planning something with Arthur!"

"You're right! Good job, Matthew!" Alfred patted his hair. "Just the hard evidence we need to bring him to justice!"

"But we still don't know why he made this list. For all we know this could be a list of people to phone or something." Matthew said.

"This is Francis we're talking about. No, this list is something more."

"But how are we going to find out?" Matthew asked.

Alfred pointed to the paper. "We've got a list of past victims right in the palms of our hands."

"You don't mean…"

"That's right." Alfred's grinned. "We're going to China."

[End Chapter 7]

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**Silly Matthew, there's no such thing as Canadian innocence, not with England and France's influence! **

**While the two hop on their private jets to China (aru) why don't you give me a little review? I'd love to hear your opinions!**


	8. Chapter 8

**In this chapter we head back to Fairchester. This time, instead of introducing one new character (such as Elizaveta the fawn), I introduce two! Ohoho, which two magical creatures will it be this time?**

**Disclaimer: The plot and setting is mine, the characters are not.**

**Oh yes, and beware of sexual innuedo in this chapter. Lots of it.**

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"There's something about a man in a toga…" Francis began, eyeing Arthur.

"Put a sock in it, wineface." He growled back, trying to hide his blush. Arthur had never thought much about his Fairy King uniform – a short white toga with a bejeweled clasp, top-quality leather sandals, and of course his crown – but now that Francis has seen him in it, he suddenly thought that it showed far too much skin.

Francis didn't seem to notice his unease and examined his own toga. It was simpler and made of a rougher material. His sandals looked worn and smelled like sweaty feet. "But these clothes are so uncool. You need something with more style."

"Y-you're just too flashy!" Arthur retorted.

"_Merci_," Francis grinned. "Now, shouldn't we prepare for our journey?"

Sighing, Arthur lead him back outside to the stables, ignoring Francis' comments and suggestions on how to make the togas more stylish.

When they arrived outside the centaurs and Elizaveta were all ready. They wore steel armor on their chests and had their helmets under their arms. Each carried a pack with provisions and a large spear slung over their shoulders. Roderich was there, too, chatting with Elizaveta. They straightened their backs and saluted when Arthur came into their midst.

"We are ready for the journey, your majesty." Elizaveta told him once he approached her.

"The general and I were just discussing battle plans, sir." Roderich said, his blush giving him away. Elizaveta giggled.

"Good, good." Arthur inspected them. "As am I. Oh, and this guy is, too." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder to Francis.

"They look like they're ready for battle!" Francis said, eyeing the soldiers. "Maybe I should have some armor too?"

"None of the armor would fit you. They were made for centaurs and fawns." Arthur replied.

"What about you? Don't you have a spare one for yourself?" Francis asked.

At this Arthur smiled and pulled something out from the depths of his toga. "I don't need armor. I have my weapon and shield right here." He waved his magic wand at him.

Francis gaped at it. "You have magic powers?"

"Of course! I'm the fairy king!" Arthur stowed his wand away safely and turned to a centaur. "Bring out my glorious steed!"

The centaur bowed and disappeared into the stables. "Glorious steed?" Francis repeated. "Don't you mean your horse?"

"Don't be daft. Why would there be horses here?" Arthur scoffed. "Ah, there he is now."

The centaur had returned with a unicorn in a tow. From what Francis could see, its coat was a bright white and its mane glossy black. Arthur gave it an affectionate hug and spoke to it. "Are you up for a long journey, Kiku?"

"Kiku?!" Francis exclaimed. "His name is Kiku?" He rushed to Arthur's side and saw that, from close up, the unicorn did resemble the Japanese man. His hair was black and cropped, unlike the unicorns he saw on the field, and his eyes a dark brown. The white shade of his coat matched the other nation's naval uniform perfectly. He even wore the same calm expression that Japan usually had on.

"He's the younger brother of the oldest unicorn in the kingdom. Yao, I think his name was." Arthur told him, stroking the unicorn's hair. He didn't notice Kiku frown when his older brother's name came up.

"And he talks like the rest of them?" Francis asked.

"Of course he does! This is a magical land, after all." Arthur nudged the unicorn. "Greet the idiot, Kiku."

Kiku the unicorn bowed his head at Francis. "Hello, Francis-san." He spoke in a polite manner and used honorifics, just like the Kiku back home did. Francis nodded in reply, stunned.

Arthur looked up at the sky. "The sun's nearly at the top of the sky. We should head out." He grabbed hold of the back of Kiku's long neck and hoisted himself up.

"What are you doing?" Francis asked as Arthur settled himself on Kiku's back.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting ready for the journey."

The light bulb of all things dirty went off in Francis' head. He smiled devilishly at Arthur and asked, "So you mean that you're _riding_ Kiku?"

"Of course I'm riding him. I always ride him." Arthur said.

Francis bit back a laugh. "And do you enjoy riding him?"

"Yes," Arthur replied, completely oblivious to what he was implying. "He's gentle but fast when I need him to be, and it's always a smooth ride." Francis was now fighting gales of laughter trying to escape from his mouth. This was just too good.

In between snickers he managed to ask one more question. "Could I, possibly, touch his horn, _sil'vous plait_?"

Arthur checked the sky again. They were wasting daylight. "No, you cannot! He doesn't like his horn being touched by anyone but me. Now stop asking questions, we're wasting valuable time! And get up off the ground, what's so funny?" He asked, for Francis was rolling around on the ground, laughing so hard that he couldn't reply. Kiku blushed and shook his head at Arthur's obliviousness.

"Your majesty, does your friend need a unicorn as well?" Roderich asked, eyeing the laughing Frenchman curiously.

Francis composed himself and got up, a few giggles still leaving his mouth. "Yeah, Arthur, don't I get a unicorn too?"

"I don't think there are any more unicorns left for him to use." Arthur told the centaur.

"Perhaps he could use the Prince's unicorn, Charlie?" Roderich suggested but Arthur shook his head.

"No, Charlie isn't friendly to new riders. He only likes Peter." Arthur said. "And he can't possibly ride with me."

Elizaveta joined in the conversation. "We could always have one of the guards carry him."

Francis liked this idea very much. "Oh yes!" he said. "I could ride on one of them! Like this handsome fellow over here." He patted a centaur's back and smiled hopefully at Arthur.

"Oh, no," Elizaveta laughed. "I don't think Ludwig would like that."

Francis froze, his hand hovering mid-pat. "L-Ludwig?" Slowly, he raised his head and looked at the centaur. A serious and slightly frightening face stared back at him. The centaur, Ludwig, had blue eyes and slicked back blond hair, much like the German. He was also just as muscular and gave Francis the same angry look.

"AHH! I'm sorry!" Francis leapt away from Ludwig, frightened. "I won't touch you! Please don't invade me!"

Ludwig looked at him, his expression switching to confused. "Invade?"

"Ignore him." Arthur told him. "He's just had some bad experiences involving invasion and wurst."

Confused, Ludwig turned to Francis and told him, "I'm not going to invade you."

"Ludwig's our toughest soldier." Elizaveta explained. "He has a knack for dealing with troublemakers and follows every military rule out there. But he's really a nice guy."

Francis looked at him. "So, can I ride you?"

The look of confusion switched back to anger. "No. Fairchester Military rule number twenty-two states that no soldier is to carry another unless he or she is wounded in battle, as it can prove to be a drawback if a surprise attack were to occur."

"This one has a stick up his ass too." Francis muttered.

Watching the centaur reprimand Francis, a sudden bit of inspiration struck Arthur. "Ludwig, I hereby give you the task of training Francis here on becoming a soldier of the Kingdom of Fairchester."

"T-Training to become a soldier!" Francis exclaimed.

"Explain the rules to him and give him some training exercises whenever you can. I'm sure that given your experience you can do that even while traveling. Oh, and don't forget to punish him when necessary."

Francis turned to Arthur, eyes wide. "Exercises? Training? PUNISHMENT?!"

Nodding, Arthur simply said, "It'll be good for you. Maybe then you'll actually be able to help and fight instead of losing your battles."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Francis asked, offended.

"It means that you suck at fighting." Arthur replied.

"Well sorry that I don't have the advantage of horrible cooking." Francis snapped back. "One taste of your so called 'food' and the Evil Warlock will run away screaming in terror."

Arthur glared at him. "Git."

"_Stupide_."

"Perverted wanker."

"Look who's talking!"

"Don't you bloody start with –"

A loud bang cut him off. Ludwig had slammed his spear down on a nearby cart. "STOP! We're getting no where with this. I thought we had a rescue mission to achieve? This is not helping Prince Peter."

Arthur and Francis cleared their throats, ashamed of themselves. "You're quite right, Ludwig. This isn't helping." Arthur straightened his crown and looked at his small troop.

"Gentlemen, prepare yourselves! Say your goodbyes and let's head on out." Arthur guided Kiku away and held his wand out in front of him. "Onwards, to the Evil Warlock's castle!"

[End Chapter 8]

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**There is only one reason I decided to make Japan a unicorn: so England can ride him. That's right, I said it. My friend christened him the "Japanicorn". **

**Perhaps you can show this author some love and leave a review! Thank you!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Vee~ I wonder who'll show up in this chapter?**

**Disclaimer: The plot is mine but the characters are not.**

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Arthur had fought in many wars, both in the magical realm and out, and considered himself an experienced soldier. Each time he went to battle his heart and mind were filled with confidence and the burning desire to win. Now, however, his confidence was slowly draining away each passing second.

This was the smallest troop he had ever commanded so far, and this was no small journey. The trek across the Kingdom of Fairchester had already taken a good two hours and they were only a quarter into their journey. The path ahead was dangerous; you never knew what would jump out at you and attack. Although Arthur was confident in the skills of his soldiers, the number was still small and of course, there was that one hindrance…

"_Mon dieu_, my feet are killing me!"

That idiotic Frenchman.

"Arthur, could we stop for a minute?" Francis asked, struggling to keep up with the rest of the group.

"No, if we stop we'll waste time." Arthur replied.

"But we've been walking for hours! And Ludwig's been talking my ear off about rules this and rules that." complained Francis. "I'm about to collapse."

Arthur said, "You didn't have to be here, you know. If you had gone home like I wanted you to you could be off doing God knows what with some poor soul."

Out of breath, Francis replied, "But this is more exciting! A new adventure, a magical land, and good-looking soldiers." He winked at a centaur who sneered back at him. "There's just too much walking."

"You're the only one complaining. The rest of us are doing just fine."

"That's easy for you to say, you've got the Japanicorn!" Francis nodded to Kiku, Arthur's trusty steed.

"I'm sorry, but what did you just call me?" Kiku asked, confused.

"Japanicorn. You know, a Japanese unicorn." Francis looked at Arthur pleadingly. "Can't I ride him for a bit, please? You're a fairy, so can't you fly or something?"

"You're just not used to it." Arthur snapped back. "If you would follow the training exercises properly –"

"Excuse me, your majesty?" Elizaveta interrupted. Arthur and Francis stopped bickering and looked at the fawn. "We're about to enter the forest, so you better be prepared for anything."

Francis turned away from her and looked ahead. Sure enough, the path ahead of them led straight into a dense forest.

"The Europia Forest," Ludwig said, coming up next to him. "Home to many creatures, both kind and dangerous. Many men have been attacked by goblins and bandits in there. It's easy to get lost in the trees and undergrowth." He turned to Francis. "Perfect conditions for fast-paced training."

Francis sighed. This was why he hardly went after Ludwig, the centaur and the nation. They were serious and scary, and this one seemed to enjoy torturing him.

"Stay on guard then, chaps!" Arthur called out, guiding Kiku into the forest. "Who knows who we'll meet?"

The Europia Forest was large and dense, with tall trees that blocked out most of the sun. On either side of the narrow path Arthur and his troop walked on were thick bushes and strange plant life. Despite the eerie silence around them, they had to admit that the forest was beautiful.

Francis wasn't able to enjoy the beauty, however, as Ludwig handed out training exercises left and right. "Keep your knees up! Training is critical if you want to become a good soldier!"

"Arthur," Francis huffed, "do I really need to do this? I'm not always going to be your soldier."

"But it's important that you do this. This isn't home, you know. The dangers are different here. Besides, that's what you get for barging into my home uninvited." He added in an undertone.

Francis was about to reply when they heard a rustling sound ahead. "Where's that sound coming from?"

Ludwig stopped and shut his eyes. The rustling came again. His eyes snapped open. "It's coming from further down the path."

"Weapons at the ready, men." Elizaveta said, hands on the hilt of her sword. She led the way forward, cautiously placing one foot in front of the other.

As they got closer and closer they discovered the rustling noises were coming from a nearby struggle. Someone was in trouble.

"Help!" came a faint cry. Elizaveta signaled for them to pick up the pace. The voices became clearer.

"Don't hurt us! Let us go!"

"Help! Someone help!"

The cries sounded urgent. The troop closed in.

"Let go of me, you bastard! I said let go, dammit!"

"Uwaa! Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! You're from the east side of the forest, aren't you? I have relatives there!"

Elizaveta looked at Arthur. He nodded to her and she took her bow and arrow, aimed, and fired. There was a yelp as the arrow whizzed past someone and they heard two loud thumps as the victims fell to the ground.

"Drop your weapon, scoundrel!" Arthur said as he burst through into the clearing on Kiku's back. Francis and the others followed suit. They had their weapons out and were pointing them straight at a man with a white mask standing in front of them. At his feet were two small men, about three feet tall. No, they looked like children. Familiar looking children.

"Yay~! See, Lovi, help came!" One said in a happy voice, smiling.

"Well it's about time, dammit." Said the grumpier one.

Francis blinked. Lovi? As in Lovino? He stepped forward and spoke to them. "What are your names?"

"I'm Feliciano and this is my big brother, Lovino!" the happier one said. "We're dwarves from the west side of the forest."

"Feliciano and Lovino…" He couldn't believe it. The dwarves in front of him looked exactly like the Italy brothers back home did – about a hundred years ago. They were just as small and cute and Francis found that he had to stop himself from running over and hugging little Lovino.

"And what were you two doing here by yourselves?" Arthur asked. The brothers looked at their feet, embarrassed.

"Lovi was going to go visit home." Feliciano replied. "I told him that it was dangerous but he didn't care, so I followed him. And that bandit snuck up behind us and picked us up!"

"But you said you were from the west."

"Oh, we're really from the south. But we work for the elves in the west."

"Ah, the elves." Arthur nodded. "Of course, I was wondering why there wasn't one with you two."

Elizaveta, who had been keeping a close eye on the bandit, glanced at the dwarves. When she saw who it was she let out a little gasp of surprise. "Feli!"

"Elizaveta!" Feliciano squealed and ran to hug the fawn.

"You two know each other?" Arthur asked, shocked.

With Feliciano still in her arms she nodded. "Before we worked in the palace, Roderich had Feliciano and me working for him. Lovino would visit with his boss, too."

"Really? Well what do you know…" Arthur smiled at the pair.

"How does that surprise you?" Francis asked. The other centaurs were also looking at the reunion with smiles on their faces. Wait, he thought, then the bandit…

"Hey! He's trying to get away!" Francis pointed at the masked bandit, who had been slowly edging away. When all heads turned to him he broke out in a run. Ludwig and Arthur sped off after him but to no avail. The bandit had gotten away.

"Drat! We lost him!" Arthur said, slowing Kiku to a stop. "The scoundrel!"

Suddenly, Kiku bowed his head so low that Arthur nearly fell off. "I'm sorry." Kiku said in a sad voice. "It is my fault he got away. I should have run faster. Please, allow Ludwig to run his spear through me as punishment."

"Er, that's not necessary, Kiku." Arthur said, patting the unicorn's head. "You did a fine job. He was just too fast for us."

He looked back at the dwarves. "Well, you two had better get going. Be careful not to get captured again, alright?"

"Thank you for saving us! Oh, I know!" Feliciano clapped his hands together. "Come to our house for dinner tonight!"

"What?!" Lovino said

Feliciano tugged on his arm. "Aw, c'mon Lovi! It's the least we could do! And our boss won't mind!"

"Humph, fine." He said, pulling his arm out of Feliciano's grip. "But if they get one speck of dirt on my clean floors, they're out of there. I'm not cleaning that mess up."

"Yay~!" Feliciano beamed. He held Elizaveta's hand and led the way, with Lovino on his other side. "You'll love the food! We only eat gourmet. There'll be gelato and tomatoes and pizza and pasta!" He turned to Ludwig and smiled at him. "You like pasta, don't you?"

"Me? Er, yes, I like it." Ludwig said, looking down at the little dwarf. "But I also like potatoes and wurst with beer on the side."

"Really?" Feliciano looked at him with wide eyes. "I've never had them before."

Lovino scowled at him. "Potato bastard."

Francis smiled. Oh yes, they were exactly alike.

[End Chapter 9]

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**Trhanslations:**

_Mon dieu_ - [French] My god

**Although I didn't put much detail into it, can anyone guess who the bandit was? The hint is in his description and Feliciano saying he's from the east side of Europia.**

**Tell me what you think by dropping a review! Many thanks~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the HERO.**

**Disclaimer: Hetalia and its characters belong to Himaruya. **

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"Welcome to my place, aru~!" Yao said with a big smile on his face. "Although it was an unexpected visit."

"Well, we were in a hurry so we couldn't call ahead." Alfred replied, making himself comfortable. After Arthur had mysteriously disappeared Alfred thought that it was his duty to find his former guardian. Dragging Matthew along, they discovered Francis' flower in Arthur's house and, after breaking into they house, a strange list of names in Francis' home. Sensing that this was a clue to Arthur's disappearance, he and Matthew had rushed over to China, as his name was at the top of the list.

"That's alright. I didn't have any plans anyway, aru! Oh, I should go get us something to drink." He stood up from the table and walked off into the kitchen, leaving the North American brothers alone.

Matthew turned to his brother. "Why'd we have to come to China? We could've gone to Italy or Japan to get information."

Shaking his head, Alfred draped an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Oh, Matthew. This is why you're only the sidekick! Yao was the first on the list, so we can safely assume that he was the first of Francis' 'victims'. Therefore we must go to him first to ask about what was done to him. Chronological order, my friend."

"You just wanted to see the pandas."

"Well if you want to talk to an angry Romano about Francis, you go ahead." Alfred smiled triumphantly. Talking to Romano about the Frenchman could land you in the hospital, and although he had the whole free healthcare thing going on, that was something Matthew avoided.

Before Matthew could respond Yao reappeared again, this time carrying a tray laden with snacks and two cups of tea. He set it down on the table and took a seat. "Here you go, aru."

"Thanks," Alfred said and grabbed a cup. Matthew was about to reach for the other but Yao took it before him.

"So why the visit, aru?" He asked.

"Oh, you know, foreign relations and all that." Alfred smiled. He took a sip from his cup and spat it out in disgust.

"Ugh! Alfred!" Matthew moved Kumajirou, who had sat in between the two, away from his brother.

"Ew! It's tea!" Alfred said, wiping his mouth. "You're just like Arthur. What's wrong with coffee?"

"Aiyah! You didn't have to spit it out, aru!" Yao hastily grabbed some napkins and attempted to clean the mess up.

Matthew reached over to help when he noticed a vase of flowers behind Yao. "Oh, are those roses? They're beautiful!"

Startled, Yao looked over his shoulder. "Ah, thank you."

"But are those roses indigenous to China?" Alfred asked. "They look a lot like the roses I've seen in France."

"Yes, I think they were brought over from there, I can't really remember."

Seeing what Alfred was doing, Matthew asked, "Did Francis bring them over?"

"Well, maybe, although I –"

"Speaking of Francis," Alfred interrupted, "Has he come over lately? You know, for a visit over the past month?"

Yao looked at him, suspicion shadowing his face. "Why do you ask, aru?"

"Just wondering." Alfred replied. "So has he?"

"Yes," Yao answered carefully.

"Oh, so he has!" Alfred flashed a smile at Matthew.

He chose his next words carefully. "What did you two do? I'm just curious about what a French man and a Chinese man might do together."

"We'd do what any other people would do." Yao answered.

"Like what?" Matthew pushed on. "Any activities or visits to places…?"

"Wait a minute, aru! I know what you're trying to do!" Yao exclaimed.

Alfred put on a mask of innocence. "What do you mean?"

"You want me to tell you what Francis did to me! Well I'm not telling, aru!"

They wouldn't be able to get the information they needed if he went on like this. "What did he do, Yao?" Matthew asked. "Was it that bad? Maybe we could help."

Yao shook his head. "No way, aru. He made me promise not to tell anyone. Besides, I don't want to talk about it, aru!"

"Oh come on, whatever Francis did can't be anything we haven't heard of." Alfred said.

"Yeah, I was raised by him for years." They moved closer to Yao, who seemed torn on whether or not to tell.

But before he could open his mouth to speak there was a knock on the door. "Who could that be, aru?" Yao asked, getting up to open it.

"I came for a surprise visit! You are surprised, da?" At the doorway stood the towering figure of Ivan. He beamed down at Yao, who seemed to shrink in his presence.

"O-oh, Ivan, aru. What a s-surprise to see you." Yao returned the smile weakly.

The Russian nodded in response then spotted the two blondes. "Oh, you already have visitors!" He smiled at them and Alfred and Matthew felt a chill go through them.

"Y-yeah, aru. You already know them, right? Of course you do. Alfred and…er…" He paused and stared at Matthew. "Er… who are you again, aru?"

"Matthew!" He shouted. "I'm Matthew! Ca-na-da!"

Ivan stepped towards Matthew. "Ah, Matthew! Good hockey game last time, da?"

At the sound of the name of his national sport Matthew immediately brightened. "Yeah, real good game!" He smiled.

"But we'll destroy you next game, da?" Despite his friendly smile Ivan had a menacing aura around him that sent shivers down their spines.

"Eheheh…s-sure." Matthew laughed nervously. "You can try."

"So why have you visited Yao?" Ivan asked, sitting himself down.

"Foreign relations." Alfred answered automatically.

"Actually," Matthew began. Alfred turned to him, wondering what he was playing at. "We came to ask him about Francis' visit."

Yao shifted uncomfortably but Ivan looked thoughtful. "Oh, he's visited me too."

"He has?" Alfred asked, shocked. The thought of Francis trying anything with the intimidating Russian was baffling.

"Yup!" Ivan replied. "It was unexpected, but I welcome him because I rarely get visitors."

"What did he do? Did he take you anywhere?" Matthew asked.

But Ivan shook his head. "He said that I couldn't tell anyone, and I have to listen to him. Otherwise, if I don't, he may put up more of a struggle to become one with Russia, da?"

"Oh yeah, and you wouldn't want that." Alfred said and Ivan nodded.

"Speaking of which, do you two want to become one with mother Russia?" Ivan asked the North Americans.

"Er, no thank you."

"I'll pass."

"Who?"

Ivan kept the serene smile on his face. "Okay, maybe some other time then, da?"

Suddenly, Alfred leapt to his feet. "Oh, is that the time? Well, Mattie and I had better get going."

"No, you two can stay, aru." Yao said, an almost pleading look in his eyes.

"Sorry, but duty calls. We, um, have other stuff planned. So see you guys later!" He grabbed Matthew's wrist and practically ran out of the house without giving Matthew a chance to say good-bye.

Once a safe distance away from Yao's house Alfred let go of him. Rubbing his aching wrist, Matthew said, "Al, we didn't have anything else planned."

"I know." Panted Alfred. "But that Ivan gives me the creeps."

He quickly regained his composure and stood up straight with a smile on his face. "But this little visit was quite informative. Now we know for sure that Francis is up to something."

"Yeah, but what?" Matthew asked. "Yao and Ivan refused to say anything."

"You forgot, little brother. We have the list of names. Yao and Ivan may not have been willing to share but maybe the rest will."

"So where to next? Italy? Their names were after Yao's." Matthew said, taking out the list. "Or maybe to Greece, since Heracles' name comes right before Arthur's."

"Yes, yes, that would be a good idea. But first, I want to see the pandas!" Alfred pointed at a nearby sign advertising a nearby zoo. "I hope they sell hamburgers there because I'm starved! Hamburgers with cheese. Oh, and it has to have bacon in it, too. Say, how would Canadian bacon taste in an American hamburger? Would it add to the awesome?"

Still rambling on about the awesomeness of a hamburger, Alfred walked ahead. Matthew shook his head and smiled. No matter what the situation, Alfred would still be Alfred. Jogging up next to his brother, he commented on how he hoped they served fries with gravy as well.

[End Chapter 10]

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**Canadian bacon in an American hamburger. Does such a thing exist? I've never had one before. I have had poutine before, and I highly doubt they'd have any in a Chinese zoo. Sorry Matt, maybe in the next country.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave me a review, I love to feast on your thoughts~**


	11. Chapter 11

**End of the school year stuff is killing me. There's just so much to do ;A; But anyway, here's the next chapter. You get to meet another character and there's Elfin Beer! Can you taste the goodness?**

**Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.**

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By now Francis had this magical land of Arthur's figured out. With the way things were going he had an idea of how things worked around here. So he wasn't all that surprised when arriving at Lovino and Feliciano's house, the elf that answered the door had a big smile, slightly curly brown hair, and held a tomato in his hand.

"Feli! Lovi! I thought you two left."

Feliciano threw himself into the elf's open arms. "Antonio~! We're sorry! We shouldn't have gone out alone because this scary bandit tried to take me and big brother away! But these friendly guys saved us and now we're going to make them dinner!"

"Bandit? Friendly guys? Dinner?" Antonio repeated, hugging the dwarf back.

"H-hey! Don't just jump up and hug him, dammit!" Lovino said, glaring at his younger brother.

Putting Feliciano down, Antonio held his arms out for the other dwarf. "Aw, do you want a hug too, Lovi?"

"No!" Lovino turned his reddening face away. "I was afraid that he'd squish the tomato, that's all."

Antonio stared at him for a moment before breaking out into a grin. "Cute! So cute!" he gushed, pressing the tomato against Lovino's face. "You look just like a tomato!"

"S-shut up, you bastard!" Lovino shouted, shoving Antonio's hand away. "Stop saying that!"

"Ahem." Arthur cleared his throat. Lovino and Antonio stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

"Oh, it's the king." Antonio said, surprised. "When did you get here?"

Arthur replied with an icy tone in his voice, "We've been standing here the entire time."

"…oh, I see."

There was a tension in the air when Arthur and Antonio stopped talking. The centaurs had shifted their gazes away from the two, Lovino munched on the tomato with his back to them, and Francis looked from Arthur to Antonio, wondering what was up. Feliciano seemed to be the only one who didn't notice the tension between the two.

"Ve~ you're a king?" he asked, breaking the silence. "Uwaa, really? That's why you have all these big and scary looking guys with you! Lovi, a king saved us!"

"Wait," Antonio said, "Feliciano, _they_ saved you two from the bandit?"

Feliciano nodded enthusiastically. "He came swooping in on his unicorn and saved us!"

Antonio looked to Arthur. "Well, since you did save them, the least I could do is invite you in for dinner."

"You think? Bloody git…" Arthur huffed as he hopped off of Kiku. Antonio moved aside for them to pass, the unicorn bowing to him before following his master inside.

The centaurs trooped inside after him, Feliciano walking alongside Ludwig. "I don't think we have any wurst or potatoes, but I know Antonio has beer in the cupboards!" he said.

"Oi, potato bastard!" Lovino called angrily after them. "Stay away from my brother!"

"Hey, Elizaveta," Francis tapped the fawn on her shoulder. "I've got a question."

She turned around and eyed him suspiciously. "The king warned me that you would try to get me alone sometime. Well I'm telling you now that if you try anything on me I'll kick your ass so hard your grandkids will feel it."

"No, no, _ma chére_," Francis said, "I was just going to ask about the tenseness in the air between Arthur and Antonio."

The threatening glint in Elizaveta's eye disappeared. "The elves and fairies have a troublesome past. They didn't get along, what with the fairies always invading. It's a lot better now but there's still that tension between the two creatures."

"Ah, I see," Francis replied. He held his arm out to Elizaveta but she ignored him and walked into the house. Not feeling the least bit upset at the rejection, he followed her.

"I'm not used to cooking for so many people, but I hope you like the food!" Antonio said beaming at his guests. They were all seated at the large dining table with plates heaping with pasta and tomato sauce in front of them. Lovino and Feliciano were already half-way done while the centaurs ate slowly, as they always did in the presence of their King. .

"So, Elizaveta," Antonio said to the fawn. "It's good to see you after all these years! How's Roderich doing?"

"Oh, he's fine. You know him, efficient when it comes to his job but on the piano every chance he gets." Elizaveta giggled. "It's almost impossible to drag him off of it."

Antonio laughed with her. "Good ol' Roderich. Never changes. Why isn't he with you on this stroll through the forest?"

"It's not just a stroll through the forest." Elizaveta replied. "We're on a rescue mission."

"Rescue mission?" Antonio set down his fork. "Who needs rescuing?"

Before Elizaveta could open her mouth Arthur answered for her. "Prince Peter has been kidnapped by the Evil Warlock. We're on our way to get him back."

"The Evil Warlock has Prince Peter?" Antonio repeated, shocked.

"Ve, Prince Peter? Isn't he the guy who always visits Raivis, the elf that always shakes?" Feliciano stopped eating long enough to ask.

Antonio nodded. "Why would he take the Prince?"

"We don't know." Ludwig replied. "But we will do whatever it takes to get him back."

"Actually, I may have an idea."

All heads turned to Arthur. He looked at them with a weary face. "I found a piece of paper under his pillow. The bottom was torn off but from what I could gather from the beginning…you know what, I have it with me." Reaching into the folds of his toga he produced the piece of paper. He handed it to Elizaveta who read aloud from it.

"So the Prince was eavesdropping on their conversation." She said.

Arthur nodded. "And they had hooded cloaks, just like the man that took him away had on."

"And so whoever took the Prince obviously didn't want that information to be leaked out." Kiku said.

"There's only one person who would have his men wear hooded cloaks on a sunny spring day." Ludwig said what was on everyone's mind. "The Evil Warlock."

Antonio sighed and shook his head. "I can't believe he'd do such a thing. Back then, I would never have thought…"

"Sounds like you knew him." Ludwig said with a touch of suspicion in his voice.

"Yes, I knew him." Antonio replied. "We were friends, but that was a long time ago. Back before he became what he is now."

There was a gloomy silence for a while before Antonio stood up abruptly. "Hey, being sad won't solve anything! We need a pick me up!" He went to the kitchen and came back with two bottles in hand.

"Is that…beer?" Ludwig asked, staring at the bottles.

"Yup!" Antonio grinned. "Just what we need!" He uncorked a bottle and poured the light green drink into a glass.

"Well, on couldn't hurt." Ludwig said, grabbing the glass and downing it.

Antonio offered a glass to the King. "Oh, no thank you."

"C'mon, just a glass." Antonio pressed.

"No, I couldn't. It wouldn't be dignified."

"It's Elfin Beer, the best there is." Antonio gave the glass a little shake.

Arthur looked at the beer for a moment before caving in. "Well, I suppose one glass couldn't hurt…"

One hour and several glasses of beer later, the centaurs were laughing at a knock-knock joke, Antonio was cradling a basket of tomatoes as though it were a baby, Ludwig was drinking his twelfth beer while staring blankly at a wall, Kiku was mumbling about "elves and their strange drinks and customs", and Lovino and Feliciano were singing Mary Had a Little Lamb all while Elizaveta had her camera out and was clicking away.

"Ve~! Big brother, big brother! Let's boil hot water! For PASTAAAA!"

"Tomatoes are the way to go! The delicious tomato! Buono tomato!"

Francis, who was pretty good at holding his liquor, smiled fondly at the two. "Aren't you guys too young to be drinking alcohol?"

Lovino flared up. "You jackass! I'm twenty-two!"

"You don't look twenty-two. Too short, _trés petit_."

"That's because I'm a dwarf, stupid!" Lovino glared at the blond.

"Twenty-two? Hmm, they may be small but they're so cute!" Francis murmured to himself. "Hey, twenty-two means that I won't get sued for harassing a minor!"

Francis had the dwarf in a tight hug in a matter of seconds. He pressed his cheek to his and said, "So cute! Lovino, you are so cute! Just like the one back home!"

"W-what are you doing, you asshole? What one back home?" Lovino spluttered, trying to escape Francis' grip.

"Ohoho~ never you mind that, Lovi!" Francis cooed. He gave Lovino's butt a pinch and the dwarf shrieked.

"C-CHIGI! Y-y-you…BASTARD!" With strength he didn't know he had, Lovino escaped Francis' embrace and head butted the Frenchman in the stomach. Francis staggered back and fell over, landing on someone lying on the ground.

"Just like Lovino back home." Francis muttered, rubbing his sore belly. "Oops, sorry, _mon ami_." He lifted himself up and saw he had landed on Arthur. The Fairy King was completely smashed, having passed out on the ground with a glass still in hand.

"Ngh…stupid America…only I can ride Kiku…" he mumbled.

"Ah, good ol' drunk Arthur. Never could hold his liquor." Francis chuckled softly before promptly passing out.

[End Chapter 11]

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**Did you catch the vague historical reference? And the song titles? It's almost pathetic how much fun I had writing those in. And yes, the twins are of legal drinking age. You didn't think I'd have kids drinking alcohol, did you?**

**Tell me your thoughts! Your reviews make my day~**


	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter has a cat in the water. Wait, what? **

**Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.**

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It was ten in the morning when Arthur woke up, groggy and hungover, to find Francis lying on top of him fast asleep. He looked at the man in shocked silence before shoving him off and quickly getting to his feet. That was when the full force of his hangover hit him. Clutching his aching head he looked around to see if anyone else was awake. The centaurs were fast asleep on one side of the room with empty bottles scattered around them. Antonio was asleep in the corner with the dwarves curled up in his arms. Even Kiku had fallen asleep on the table, a half-empty bottle of beer by his mouth.

"Bloody hell," Arthur cursed. "Can't anyone hold their liquor?"

"Oh, you're awake!" Came Elizaveta's voice. She stood by the kitchen doorway, smiling and with a camera in her hand. "About time, we're way behind schedule."

"Didn't you drink at all last night?" Arthur asked her.

The fawn shook her head. "I had enough sense not to touch the stuff."

"I knew I made you my general for a reason." Looking at his soldiers on the ground, he said to her, "Well, we better wake them up."

Although waking everyone up proved difficult (that elf could sleep through an earthquake) soon they were all awake and shrugging off the remnants of last night's events. It was at breakfast that Arthur announced that they would be continuing on their journey.

"Ve, I was hoping you'd stay longer!" Feliciano said when they were all by the door. "But you'll come back and visit, right?" He looked at Ludwig hopefully.

"Er, yes, we'll be back to visit." Ludwig replied and he blushed profusely when the dwarf hugged him tightly.

After telling Elizaveta to put her camera away, Arthur turned to Antonio. "Thank you for allowing us to stay in your home for the night. Er, sorry about drinking all your of beer, too."

"It's no problem." The elf replied with a sunny smile on his face. "And…I wish you all the best of luck on your journey. If you ever need an extra hand, the elves of Europia are always here to help. "

Arthur smiled back at him. "Thanks."

"Remember to visit~!" Feliciano waved to them as they rode away.

"Just don't bring that pervert with you!" Lovino called out.

"Lovi, don't be rude!" Antonio scolded and tugged on his curl. Lovino let out a screech and head-butted the elf the stomach.

Francis laughed at the sight and whispered into Arthur's ear, "Talking unicorns, cowardly centaurs, and head-butting dwarves? What next, do the vampires here sparkle?"

"Good God, no!" Arthur replied. "Why the hell would they do that?"

After two hours of walking the troop finally reached the edge of the forest. The bright sun greeted them as they stepped out of the forest floor. "Good work, lads! We're that much closer to our goal!"

"Could we take a short break then? Those training exercises Ludwig put me through were exhausting." Francis asked and sat on a nearby rock.

"Now's not the time to stop!" Elizaveta said. "We're not far from the next checkpoint."

Francis groaned. "But I am so tired. _Si'l vous plait, Arthur?_"

"No." Arthur replied. "Now get up off your lazy French ass and get moving."

"Maybe you could help me move my sexy French ass, hmm? Ouch! I was only kidding, _mon ami_! You didn't have to hit so hard!"

Francis got up and gingerly touched the new lump on his head. "What's this next checkpoint, anyway?"

"Shut your bloody mouth for a second and you'll hear it." Arthur told him. Francis scowled but kept quiet. He heard the familiar sloshing and splashing of water coming from beyond the bushes.

"Water?"

Ludwig nodded. "The Great Medlantic Lake, said to be the largest lake in the world."

"The largest? I've seen some pretty large ones before." Francis said.

Arthur grinned. "Not one as large as this." He and Kiku led them down the narrow path through the bushes towards the sound of the lake. A few branches in the face later, Francis was looking at the largest lake he had ever seen.

"_Sacre bleu_!" He said, staring at the blue waters of the Great Medlantic Lake. "Is this even a lake? It looks as big as an ocean!"

"No, the oceans are definitely bigger." Elizaveta replied.

"But I can't even see any land on the other side!" Francis paused. "Wait a minute, how are we going to cross this thing?"

Arthur hopped off of Kiku. "We're going to swim, of course."

"Swim?" Francis gaped. "You mean the whole way? _Mon dieu_, I don't think I can keep my head up for that long."

Elizaveta laughed. "Oh no, we won't be swimming above the water."

Francis gave her a curious look, but before he could ask any questions Arthur had pulled his magic wand out. He chanted words Francis didn't understand and waved his wand around himself. With one final wave a large bubble emitted from the end of his wand and placed itself around his head.

"This," England said, tapping the bubble around his head lightly, "is how we're going to breathe underwater. It's a magical air bubble."

"That's amazing." Francis replied, staring at the bubble in awe. "But I think I saw a spell like that in Harry Potter."

Arthur smirked. "Where do you think Rowling got the idea? Now get your arse over here so I can do you."

"Ohoho~" Francis grinned and received a sharp blow to the head for it.

Ten minutes later the team found themselves in the warm waters of the Great Medlantic Lake. Each had a bubble around their head giving them an ample supply of air. Elizaveta swam ahead of the group, leading the way. "Stick close together. Strange creatures live in these waters."

"I'm in the biggest lake I've ever seen with a fawn, talking unicorn, a group of centaurs, and Arthur." Francis scoffed. "How can it get any weirder than that?"

"You could be facing a giant lion underwater." Kiku said.

"Kiku, don't frighten the idiot. He might piss his pants and we all don't want to swim in that." Arthur chided.

"But your majesty, there's one right over there." Kiku pointed his horn to the left. Francis turned and sure enough, resting on the lake bed, was a real live giant lion.

Francis froze on the spot. Arthur signaled for them to stop swimming. The lion didn't move. Elizaveta gave Ludwig a nod and the centaur swam closer to it. The lion gave no response. After close examination he declared it asleep. The troop breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, men." Arthur whispered. "We got lucky this time, but we still have to get past him. Now don't make any loud noises that could wake him up –"

"_MON DIEU_! IT'S A GIANT UNDERWATER LION! SWIM FOR YOUR LIVESSSS!"

The nearest centaur quickly grabbed hold of the panicking Frenchman and Arthur clamped a hand to his mouth. But it was too late, the lion had woken.

"Uhn, who woke me up? I was having a nice dream about cats." The lion yawned and stretched its large body. It looked around and saw the group before him frozen in terror. "Hmm? What are you guys doing here? No one ever comes down here."

At that moment Ludwig swam forward and took out his sword. He pointed it towards the great beast and said, "Let us pass and we won't hurt you."

The lion blinked at the sword before replying. "I'm guess I should fight you." It raised a giant paw, ready to swipe at them, but it lazily dropped back to its side. "But I'm really sleepy."

Francis looked at the lion carefully. The way it spoke, how sleepy it sounded, it all reminded him of someone back home. He just couldn't place his finger on whom exactly. "W-what are you?"

"I'm the SeaLion of the lake." It replied. "I'm supposed to attack any trespassers to stop them from entering. There haven't been many lately, so all I've done is sleep and play with my CatFish."

"Greece!" Francis exclaimed. That's who the SeaLion reminded him of. The brown mane, green eyes, and tanned coloured fur. There was even that funny cowlick at the back of his head that looked like the one the cat-loving country back home had.

Ignoring the sudden exclamation, Arthur asked the SeaLion, "So you aren't going to attack us?" The SeaLion nodded. "You're going to letting us go?"

"I never said that." The SeaLion raised his head and roared at the blue waters of the lake. The sound sent shockwaves towards them, and the troop covered their ears until he lowered his head again.

There was silence. No one moved. No one spoke. Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past Arthur's ear, missing him by inches. The centaurs moved in around their king, swords at the ready. They looked around for the source of the arrow and saw figures swimming towards them seemingly from no where. When they got closer they saw hundreds of creatures with human torsos and tails of fish with weapons pointed directly at them. They were surrounded. A voice spoke from somewhere within the circle.

"Invade their vital regions."

[End Chapter 12]

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**Why yes, that is an army of mermen. And who just happens to be their leader? Some of you may need to rethink your guesses for who the Evil Warlock is. **

**A quick note on the name "Medlantic". Since mermen were to live in the lake, I thought that I'd search up where Atlantis is supposed to be and play around with the name like I did with Europia. Apparently Atlantis could be in the Atlantic ocean or the Mediterranean, so I combined their names to create the Great Medlantic Lake, as big as an ocean and just as deep. **

**Review the chapter and tell me your thoughts!**


	13. Chapter 13

**It's HERO time! Oh, and that other guy too (who?).**

**Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me nor am I being paid to write this.**

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After visiting the pandas at the zoo back in China, Alfred and Matthew headed east. It was there they found themselves at another doorstep, waiting patiently for the owner of the house to answer the door.

"Ah, Alfred-san, what are you doing here?" asked the man once he opened the door.

Alfred grinned. "Kiku! Long time no see! We were just in the neighbourhood saying hello the whales when we decided to drop by."

The Japanese man looked confused at the word "we" but quickly composed himself once he saw Matthew standing next to Alfred. "Ah, please come in."

"Hey, you redecorated!" Alfred said, looking around the living room. While it was still a very traditional Japanese home, Kiku had added modern touches here and there. An iPod speaker was placed next to incense sticks on the low tea table, and several gaming consoles sat in front of a plasma television.

Kiku bowed. "_Arigatou_, Alfred-san. Please, have a seat and I will bring in refreshments." After another bow he left the North Americans to themselves.

"Asians are so polite!" Alfred said as he flopped down. "Always offering refreshments and bowing."

Taking a seat next to his brother, Matthew nodded in agreement. "Kiku may just be the most polite of them all. Didn't you destroy his window while trying to get in one time?"

Alfred laughed, flushing slightly. "It was an emergency! I needed his help to scare the crap out of Arthur!"

The two were still chatting when Kiku returned. "I was not expecting visitors, so I apologize if the food does not suit your tastes."

"Japanese food is great!" America said, helping himself to some sushi. "It helped me lose weight and get awesome again!"

"A week later you were back on a diet of hamburgers and cola." Canada rolled his eyes.

Alfred shrugged. "Hey, a hero needs his hero food!" He happily popped another California Roll into his mouth. "But this stuff's awesome too!"

"Thank you for your compliments, Alfred-san. Please, help yourself." Kiku added, smiling at Matthew.

The three ate in comfortable silence, savoring the unique taste of the sushi. Even Kumajirou ate a couple of bites. Soon all the food was gone and Alfred had let out a burp of appreciation, rubbing his belly contentedly. "That was delicious!"

Matthew frowned at his brother's lack of manners before smiling at Kiku. "Thank you, the food was very good."

"I'm glad you both enjoyed it." Kiku replied, smiling back. "Now, why have you two decided to visit my home?"

"I – we didn't tell you?" Matthew flushed red out of embarrassment. He and his brother had simply walked in and eaten Kiku's food without telling him why. "I'm sorry! That was rude of us!"

Kiku raised a hand to stop the panicking Canadian. "That's alright, Matthew-san. Your brother has done this many times before. It's a western tradition, is it not?

"It's more of an Alfred thing, really." Matthew replied as Alfred looked away sheepishly.

"Anyway, we're here because we're on a mission!" Alfred exclaimed, grinning.

Kiku sighed. Knowing Alfred, this 'mission' could very well be about discovering the perfect hamburger recipe. "What sort of mission, Alfred-san?"

"Why, a mission to save a grumpy, furry-browed damsel in distress!"

So it wasn't about hamburgers this time, Kiku thought. "Do you mean Arthur-san?"

Nodding his head, Alfred continued. "It seems that he's been captured by a dark, evil, perverted force that wants nothing more than to strip him of his –"

"Alfred!" shrieked Matthew. "This is Francis we're talking about! He's not an evil and dark force and we don't even know why he's taken Arthur!"

"Francis-san has taken him?" Kiku's eyes widened in shock while Matthew nodded his head. "I knew he was very determined when it came to love, but never to this extent."

"This is exactly why we need to save Arthur!" Alfred slammed a fist onto the table, rattling the Japanese tea cups. "Who knows what that frog is doing to him?"

Matthew was quick to grab Alfred's still full tea cup. "As you can see, we're very concerned about his wellbeing. So we were hoping that you could maybe help us?"

"Of course, I can do all that I can." Kiku nodded, "Arthur-san is a very close friend of mine."

"Yes!" Alfred cheered. "That's just what I wanted to hear! Now what I'm about to ask you is very serious."

Smile disappearing from his face, Alfred reached out and firmly placed his hands on Kiku's shoulders. Staring him straight in the eye, he asked "When France came over to sexually harass you, where did you go and how long did he keep you there?"

Kiku's face turned a red that could rival Antonio's tomatoes. "W-what are you talking about?"

"You were on his list." Alfred replied. "Crossed out and everything, which means he was here sometime ago."

"I-I don't know…"

Alfred leaned in closer so that his nose was inches from Kiku's. "This is no time to be a prude. Now's your chance to help save a poor British man from a Frenchman's perverted clutches of doom! Are you going to deny Arthur his safety and innocence just because you're embarrassed?"

Kiku faltered. The American had a good point. Arthur had been his friend for a long time and if he really was in trouble he should do whatever he can to help him. But still, he had promised that he wouldn't say anything, and he always kept his promises.

While he was debating it over in his head, Alfred and Matthew watched him intently. When Kiku opened his mouth to speak the two leaned in closer.

"When Francis-san came over –"

"_ANIKIIII_! I'VE COME TO CLAIM YOUR BREASTS!"

The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the traditional Japanese home. The door to the living room slid open and in rushed Yong Soo, eyes searching for Kiku. When he spotted him by the table he let out a delighted squeal and tackled him to the ground.

"Kiku! I haven't seen you in so long! Are you avoiding me? First Yao and now you! Remember, your breasts are mine!" he said from on top of Kiku.

"Y-Yong Soo!" Kiku gasped, trying to shove him off "Please, get off me! I have guests over!"

Yong Soo blinked. "Guests?" He turned around and finally noticed Alfred and Matthew sitting there, gaping at the Asians open-mouthed.

"Alfred! I didn't know you were here!" Yong Soo said, getting off of Kiku. He looked towards Matthew. "Is that a clone? You know, clones originated in Korea!"

"Yong Soo, it's me, Matthew. You come over to my house all the time." Matthew sighed.

Kiku groaned and sat up, glaring at the Korean. "Yong Soo, please remember your manners next time. Don't speak of such… _crude_ things in front of Alfred-san and Matthew-san!"

"But your breasts are mine! I've laid claim to them!" He reached forward and grabbed Kiku's chest without warning. "No one can take them away! Not even that Francis!"

Kiku yelped and tore Yong Soo's hands away from his chest. "You must take responsibility for your actions!"

"Hold up, hold up," Alfred, who'd been watching the scene with a mixture of disgust and curiosity, said "What do you mean by Francis can't take them away?"

Yong Soo pouted. "That French man is really perverted! He once took him to–"

"No!" Kiku slapped his hand over Yong Soo's mouth before he could say anything more. Ignoring Yong Soo's muffled protests, he turned to the North Americans and said "Alfred-san, Matthew-san, I'm sorry but I have to ask you to leave."

"But –" Alfred began but Kiku was already pushing them out the door.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." Kiku said just before closing the door. "Please take care of yourselves." After a slight bow to them the door clicked shut.

Alfred and Matthew stood there in silence for a moment, confused as to what just happened. "I had no idea Yong Soo had such… hobbies."

"Me neither." Alfred replied "Man, those guys are weird."

"Too bad we didn't get any info. Yong Soo interrupted before Kiku was about to answer us." Matthew sighed.

"What are you talking about? We got info!" Alfred said, hopping off of Kiku's porch and heading down the street.

"Eh?"

"Well, Kiku mentioned that Francis visited once. Then Yong Soo said he was really perverted. Since Kiku's not into the whole touchy-touchy thing while Francis is, that must mean that Francis did something perverted to him!"

Matthew was unconvinced. "But we don't know if that's really what happened. Francis may be a huge romantic but he wouldn't do something like that!"

"In any case, we're one step closer to finding Arthur!" Alfred pumped a fist into the air.

"Alright," Matthew replied "Where do we go now?"

"Lithuania! No, we should go to Greece! Oh, but I'm in the mood for some Italian right now…"

"Alfred! We're not going to Italy just so you can eat!"

"I know, I know. I'm multi-tasking! Hey, let's decide on that later. I want to head over to the nearest manga store first. I hear they've got some new stuff at my favourite one! C'mon!"

Alfred grabbed Matthew's hand and tugged him along. Matthew tightened his grip on Kumajirou and sighed. No matter how much of a hero he may claim to be, Alfred would always be an idiot.

[End Chapter 13]

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**I hadn't planned to write this chapter. I was supposed to move on with Fairchester but I thought that I should give Alfred and Matthew some time to shine. So I really started to write with very little idea of what was going to happen. But hey, this gave me a chance to use Korea!**

**I love getting reviews! Please tell me what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

**There are five cameos in this chapter, all of them not named. Can you figure out who they all are?**

**Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me and I make no profit from this whatsoever.**

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Francis had been in several battles, each more horrific than the last. However, nothing could compare to the battle he was in right now.

Here, in the depths of the Great Medlantic Lake, he fought alongside magical creatures of all kinds with the same goal: to defend Arthur Kirkland.

"After years of fighting against Arthur, I never thought I'd be fighting for him." Francis muttered as he dodged yet another arrow. The mermen had frighteningly good aim, but the centaurs were just as good if not better.

Francis yelped as an arrow whizzed past his ear. "A sword, I need a sword!" He looked down at his toga only to realize with horror that there was nothing hanging on the belt. "_Mon dieu_, I didn't think I'd have to say this again. ARTHUR! HELP ME!"

"For heaven's sake, grow some balls and fight! I'm busy right now!" Arthur replied, battling mermen from atop Kiku just a few feet away from Francis.

"If you'd given me a weapon I would!"

Arthur waved his wand and bound a merman's arms to his side. "Oh for crying out loud," he reached into his toga and pulled out a small dagger in a sheath. "Here!"

He threw it over to Francis, who scrambled to swim forwards. Just as he was close enough to catch it a merman popped up in front of him and swatted the dagger away with his tail.

"_Non!_" Not noticing the spear in front of his face Francis frantically swam after the dagger.

"You ain't getting away that easily!" But as the merman turned to chase after him Francis' leg whacked him in the face. The merman staggered back, straight into a waiting centaur.

Not noticing what he had done, Francis focused on the dagger. However, each time he got close enough a tail or leg would accidentally knock the dagger away.

After what seemed like ages Francis found the dagger resting on a rock not too far away. "I have you now," he murmured.

Nearby, one merman grinning cockily called out while holding his axe over his shoulder, "Which of you centaurs want to face me next?" He looked around and caught sight of the Frenchman swimming towards the rock. He smirked and followed after him.

Francis, unaware of his new pursuer, swam closer and closer to the dagger. Once he was close enough he reached out to grab the dagger when he felt something move behind him.

WHOOSH

Suddenly, an axe came swinging out of nowhere and just missed Francis. In his shock Francis lost his footing and flipped on his head.

"I've got you now you cowardly– AUGHH!" the merman dropped his axe and shielded his eyes. In front of him France was flipped on his back with the end of his toga floating upwards, giving the merman a view of his nether regions.

With his eyes still covered the merman stumbled away from the offending view only to feel a rope wind its way around him. "What the…?" he turned and saw that his captor, a centaur with a cheery smile and a band aid on his nose, was expertly tying him up.

"There we go, nice and snug." The centaur said, admiring his handiwork. He turned his gaze to Francis, who had righted himself and grabbed hold of the dagger. "Good work mate, but you do know that you're supposed to wear something under that?"

"Would you cover up the Mona Lisa?" Francis sniffed in return. He removed the dagger from its sheath and gripped it tightly. "Now I can show these mermen what I can really do! He swam straight into battle, brandishing the small dagger as though it were a sword. The centaur sighed and followed after him. He knew that the king wouldn't like it very much if he let him get killed in battle.

Meanwhile, Arthur had managed to take down a number of mermen by casting spells with his magic wand. "Glad to see I haven't lost my touch in battle." He said to himself as he bound together the arms of yet another one.

"I'll be the judge of that." said a voice behind him. Arthur turned and caught sight of a merman floating not too far from him. The cocky grin on his pale face reached all the way to his blood red eyes and he had a gold crown nestled in his snow white hair.

"Gilbert," Arthur said, narrowing his eyes at the Merman King.

"Arthur," Gilbert replied, his grin widening. "Long time no see! I see you've still got your pansy-ass unicorn with you."

Kiku glared at him and tried to swim closer. "Settle down, Kiku," Arthur placed a hand on his back in an attempt to calm him. "I'll deal with him." He hopped off Kiku and kept a tight grip on his wand.

"Deal with me? Ha, don't make me laugh."

"I don't want to fight you, Gilbert." Arthur said, keeping his voice level.

"Then why did you trespass?"

"It was a mistake. We took a wrong turn."

Gilbert scoffed, "Wrong turn my ass. You were planning a sneak attack weren't you?" He drew his sword from its sheath and pointed it at Arthur's chest. "Well I'm not going to let you get away with it." He lunged forward to attack but Arthur swiftly moved to the side.

"Listen to me, you git! I'm not here to fight you!" Arthur yelled as he dodged yet another attack. "I've got bigger idiots to worry about!"

"You should've thought of that before you decided mess with the awesome King Gilbert!" With a cackling laugh he swung his sword out as hard as he could and knocked Arthur's wand away.

"Oh bloody hell," Arthur cursed as he watched his wand fly out of sight. He didn't have time to lament, however, when Gilbert's sword was placed millimetres away from his chest.

"In trouble without your magic stick?" Gilbert asked in a mocking tone. He raised his sword up over his head. "Now the only problem for me is whether to mount your head on my wall or feed you to the CatFish."

Arthur looked up at Gilbert in horror. Unsure of what else to do he shut his eyes and would have given up right then if it weren't for a familiar sound interrupting Gilbert's cackling.

CLANG!

Wincing at the sound of metal meeting bone Arthur opened his eyes and sought out his saviour. Elizaveta stood just behind a cowering Gilbert, frying pan in hand and a murderous look in her eyes.

"Ow! The fuck?" Gilbert swore while clutching the newly formed lump on his head.

"Nice to see you too, Gil."

Gilbert froze, recognizing the voice. He slowly turned around and met the angry eyes of the fierce fawn. "Eliza! That was you?"

"Who else would it be?" Elizaveta drawled.

He straightened himself up and looked at her in surprise. "What are you doing here? No, don't tell me…" He looked at Arthur then back to her, his eyes widening in realization. "You work for him now?"

"That's right, and I'd thank you and your men to not attack my boss!" Elizaveta replied angrily.

"I had every right to attack! You guys were planning a sneak attack on my awesome kingdom!" This earned him another whack with the frying pan.

"Will you shut up and listen?" Elizaveta sighed in exasperation. "We're not interested in your kingdom or anything that has to do with you. We've got more pressing matters to attend to."

"Yeah," Gilbert crossed his arms "like what?"

"The Evil Warlock."

Gilbert stared at her wide-eyed for a moment before cursing. "Shit."

"That's right," Arthur moved so he was in front of the merman king "so you better call off your guards. I need my men for what lies ahead."

Grumbling about being ordered around by some fairy pansy, Gilbert drew in a deep breath and called out in a commanding voice "Soldiers of Teutonis! I, your king, command you all to cease fire immediately!"

At the sound of their king's voice the mermen obediently stopped and brought their weapons to their sides. The centaurs stopped as well, confused but relieved. Arthur gave them a reassuring smile before turning to Gilbert.

"Thank you."

"Arthur? What just happened?" Arthur turned and saw Francis swimming over to him. "I was fighting gallantly with true French passion when a voice that sounded a lot like Gilbert's..." Francis trailed off when he finally noticed the merman floating beside the fairy king.

"Who's this?" Gilbert asked, studying Francis. "He doesn't look like an elf. Is he a fairy?"

"No, he's visiting from another land." Arthur replied, flashing Francis a look that told him to keep his mouth shut. "He agreed to help me."

Francis, having chosen to ignore Arthur's warning, bowed down "It is a pleasure to meet you King Gilbert of the Mermen. My name is Francis Bonnefoy and I hail from the distant and magnificent land of France."

"I see word of my awesome self has reached far and wide." Gilbert smirked and puffed his chest out proudly.

"Well come on." He said to Arthur and started to swim away.

Arthur called out, "Wait, what do you mean? Who said we were going with you?"

"We're going to my kingdom to treat your wounded soldiers. You can't have them going into battle like that." Gilbert said as though it were obvious. "Now hurry up. I hate slow swimmers."

Francis had clearly underestimated the depth of the lake. Along with a giant SeaLion and several mermen the lake was also home to a giant underwater city. Its rich green and turquoise buildings stood proudly and shined like jewels in the light.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Gilbert said when he saw Francis looking around in awe. "Welcome to Teutonis, my kingdom."

"Teutonis," Francis repeated. The name was a perfect fit to the kingdom, majestic and powerful.

Elizaveta looked around with a small smile. "Glad to see you haven't run it to the ground."

"Such an awesome kingdom can't be brought down!" Gilbert grinned. "Now you and your soldiers follow me to my palace. It's just past those buildings."

Arthur and his troop followed Gilbert through the city towards his palace, ignoring the stares and whispers of the merpeople they passed. Small merpeople, most likely children, swam past them. Some stopped to ogle at the group of centaurs and even tried to touch Kiku's long mane. The women of the city stopped what they were doing and stared at the group in wonder and fear. When Gilbert noticed them and waved they gasped and immediately bowed down in the presence of their king.

"King Gilbert," one asked "are they the ones the SeaLion warned about? We're glad to see you've captured them!"

Gilbert laughed. "Nah, it was all a misunderstanding. They're our guests and we were just taking them to the castle to get them cleaned up." This had the women whispering excitedly amongst themselves.

"They seem to like you." Francis remarked, noticing the way some of them smiled and waved back.

"Who wouldn't?" Gilbert replied. "A good ruler is judged by the happiness and respect from their people."

Arthur nodded in agreement then joked "And sometimes on how big his palace is."

Gilbert smirked. "Well, King Arthur, is that big enough?" He pointed straight ahead and Francis had to gasp.

The castle was a light blue so that it was almost unnoticeable in the lake waters. It was huge, as big as Arthur's own castle. "Welcome to my humble home." Gilbert said. "Come this way."

"You two!" Gilbert said to a couple of his mermen once they were inside. "Show the injured to the infirmary. The others can rest in the soldier's lounge."

"Yes, your highness!" They replied.

The more intimidating looking of the two spoke to the centaurs. "If you're injured follow me to the infirmary. M'wife can take the rest of you to the lounge to rest."

"I told you stop calling me that!" the other interrupted, blushing "I'm male, I can't be your wife!"

Gilbert chuckled to himself. He looked to Arthur, Francis, and Elizaveta. "You three come with me to my throne room. But I'm afraid your unicorn will have to be in the courtyard." Kiku nodded and followed another merman out.

The throne room was grand, with pillars lining both sides and a large throne at the end. Gilbert sat down and moved around to get himself comfortable. He called out for his personal servant. A boy with blond hair who couldn't have been more than ten came out.

"Bring some chairs out for them, will you? And get someone to bring me something to eat. I'm starving."

"Yes, your highness." The young boy replied. "Sir, could I visit the maid in the kitchen afterwards?"

Gilbert smiled. "Yes, yes. Now go." Once the boy had swam out of the room Gilbert let out a bellowing laugh. "That poor kid! He has no idea that the maid he's got a crush on is actually a guy!"

"Really?" Elizaveta's eyes went wide with excitement.

"Calm yourself." Arthur warned her. He looked at Gilbert. "I assume you wanted to speak to us."

Gilbert's smile disappeared and his face became serious. "There are a few things you ought to know about the Evil Warlock if you want to take up arms against him."

"I've had a war against him already so I think –"

"Things change, Arthur." Gilbert interrupted. "He may not have enough support for an army but I heard from my sources that he's got a couple of minions now, apprentices learning the ways of magic. He's got some other creatures under his wing too. Not sure what they are, but I hear rumours that your unicorn's older brother is working for him now."

Arthur gasped. "No, not Yao!"

"It's only a rumour." Gilbert said. "I haven't seen the Evil Warlock since the war. He's a nasty bastard. I don't know what he's done to get you so riled up, but any enemy of his is a friend of mine." He swam over to Arthur and placed both hands on his shoulders. "Remember, just because you won once doesn't mean you'll be as lucky again."

[End Chapter 14]

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**Did you figure out who the five nations were? I'm sure that you'll get four of them, but the fifth one is rather obscure though Prussia gives a hint as to who it is. A certain trigger-happy Swiss and his sister were scheduled to make an appearance as well, but I've bumped them to the next chapter.**

**China working for the Evil Warlock should be a hint as to who else he took under his wing.**

**Please, don't forget to review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Evil lurks within this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: None of the characters mentioned have any affliation with me and I in no way make any profit off of this.**

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"Sorry I won't be able to see you guys off," Gilbert said, "but I'll have one of my personal guards escort you to the end of the lake."

After all of the centaur's injuries had been healed it was time for the group to head out. They were just outside Teutonis' border, the furthest Gilbert was willing to go.

"We understand. You're a very busy person and we've imposed on you long enough." Arthur replied. He sat on top of Kiku once again with Elizaveta and Ludwig close by. Even if what had transpired earlier was a misunderstanding they had to be more careful.

Gilbert laughed. "It was no problem at all! I always help those in need!"

"You were the reason we needed help in the first place." Ludwig muttered but Gilbert heard him all the same.

"You haven't changed have you, West?" Gilbert clapped the centaur on the back and laughed. "Exactly the same since I saw you wandering around on the beach."

Ludwig frowned. "I could say the same for you. I told you to stop calling me that years ago. Just because I'm from the west side of the forest…"

Gilbert grinned at him before sighing. "Why is everyone working for Arthur nowadays? You, Elizaveta, the four-eyed pansy…"

"Centaurs can't stay in the water for long periods of time."

"Whatever," Gilbert replied grumpily.

Arthur looked up, trying to see the sun from beneath the calm waters. "We best get going now. Can't waste too much time."

Gilbert nodded and spoke to the guard next to him. "Vash, escort them to the lake's edge then return to me immediately. I trust you will help them if need be."

Vash, a merman with short blond hair and a green beret, gave a curt nod and saluted. "Yes, your highness."

"Well off you go then!" Gilbert said. "I wish you the best of luck, King Arthur. Remember what I've told you."

Arthur nodded. "The soldiers of Fairchester thank you for your hospitality, King Gilbert." He then faced his men and raised his wand. "Men, our journey continues. On to the Warlock's castle!"

The centaurs cheered and followed their king away, leaving Gilbert and his men waving behind them.

"Those merpeople were so nice," Francis mused "it must be nice going around topless all day. Though I wonder how they go about intimacy…"

"Will you shut up, frog? No wants to hear what goes on in that mind of yours." Arthur hissed.

Francis faked a gasp and clutched his chest. "You wound me with your words! Must you think so little of me? I can assure you that my mind is perfectly safe and innocent, much like that adorable little maid that Gilbert had with a ribbon in her hair. Oh, how she blushed when I —"

But whatever Francis was about to say was interrupted when a pistol was thrust under his chin. "What did you do to my sister?" Vash asked menacingly, his face inches from the terrified Frenchman's.

"She was y-your sister?" Francis laughed nervously. "What a small world, _non_? Say, does that gun even work under water?" Vash only pressed the pistol harder against his chin.

"Relax soldier," Arthur placed a hand on the gun "I was with him the whole time. All he did was smile and wink at her. She went right back to the kitchens afterwards."

Vash looked at Arthur, analyzing his face, before lowering his gun. "If the King of Fairies says you are innocent, then it must be true." He said, though the glower he sent Francis said a different message. "I apologize for my actions."

"Oh no, it's fine." Francis replied "You'd be surprised how use I am to guns being pointed at me, especially by you."

Sending him a quizzical look, Vash chose to ignore him and instead continued to lead the group away. The only sounds were the sloshing of the water as they swam. Bored by the silence that had fallen over them, Francis looked around the lake. Once Teutonis was out of sight there wasn't much else to see, just the blue of the water. With nothing interesting to look at, Francis let his mind wander.

Like everyone else, he had never believed in Arthur's magic and the 'friends' he claimed to have. Francis always assumed that he was just a crazy and lonely man. But here he was, underwater with a group of supposedly non-existent magical creatures, and there was no way he could deny that.

But what were most interesting were the people these creatures reminded him of. It was like they were doppelgangers or parallel beings of some sort. They were exact copies of people back home, from looks to personality. It seemed like everyone was here too, from Antonio as the elf to Peter as the prince…

"Wait a minute," Francis' eyes widened, realizing something. "Arthur?"

"What is it this time?" Arthur replied in the middle of adjusting his toga.

"Everyone we've met on this journey is exactly like someone from back home. Like Gilbert, and Roderich, and that unicorn you're sitting on."

"You mean Kiku?" Arthur stroked said unicorn's mane absentmindedly. "Yes, I suppose they do. So what's your point?"

"If that's the case, then who's the Evil Warlock?"

Arthur froze at the question. But before he could answer Vash called out, "We've reached the shore, King Arthur."

"Ah? Oh yes, that's great." Arthur turned away from Francis to smile at the merman. "My men will go up to the surface one by one, while you can stay behind and make sure nothing comes at us. Elizaveta, you go first."

"Understood, your majesty." She turned around to face the centaurs. "You heard him, I'll go up and check if the coast is clear then each of you head up." The centaurs saluted in response and once Elizaveta's legs had disappeared from the water they each swam up to the surface, Ludwig bringing up the rear.

"Kiku, you head up next. Francis will follow right after." Arthur got off of Kiku and the unicorn made his way to the surface. Francis hesitated for a moment before following after him. The air bubble that had been around his head popped when he reached the surface. Elizaveta, Kiku, and the centaurs stood on a beach not too far away.

"Are you all right, Francis-san?" Kiku asked once Francis had made it to the beach.

Francis smiled and slicked back his wet hair "Of course. A little water couldn't hurt me. Tell me, is my toga see-through now?" Kiku blushed and shook his head, not noticing Francis' disappointed look.

"Oi, Francis!" Arthur called out. He turned and saw the fairy king walking up to the beach, glaring at the Frenchman. "Learn to wear some underwear! I did not need to see that as you swam up!"

"Ohoho~, don't pretend you didn't like it _mon cher_." Francis slapped Arthur's ass and laughed as his face turned beet red.

"You bloody bastard–"

"King Arthur, sir," Vash interrupted from the water. The others turned and saw the merman's head above the waves.

Arthur hastily turned away from Francis and cleared his throat. "Yes, what is it?"

"I must leave you now. I am unable to travel any further than this."

"Ah, yes." Arthur waded back into the water to shake his hand. "Thank you for escorting us here safely. Please tell your king that we send our thanks."

"I wish you all the best of luck. The Evil Warlock should not be underestimated." With a final bow Vash disappeared under the waves.

Walking back to the beach, Arthur called for their attention. "Alright soldiers, we've made it this far. The Evil Warlock's castle is just beyond this short stretch of forest. We should be there before nightfall."

He looked around him, making sure everyone was listening "I want to thank you all for doing this with me. I know that after The War none of you had wished to have anything more to do with that wretched warlock, and yet here you are. You are all brave to agree to this, perhaps foolish as well. But know that your bravery shall be rewarded when this is all over. Prince Peter is depending on us to save him and we will not let him down! Now buck up, gather your bearings and let's move out!" The centaurs cheered wildly and even Francis was impressed by his powerful speech.

Arthur slipped his wand out from beneath his toga and waved it while chanting a spell. A flash of light later and everyone was dry to the bone. "That's much better."

Elizaveta saluted her king "Everyone is ready to go, your highness."

"Very good." Arthur climbed onto Kiku "Are you ready to go, frog?"

"As ready as I shall ever be, _l'Angleterre_."

"Then lead the way, Elizaveta." The fawn headed to the front, ready to lead the troop onwards to the Evil Warlock's castle.

About an hour had passed since the time they were on the beach and already the forest was thinning out. The tall trees were getting more spread out and soon a tall dark building could be seen in the distance. It was completely black, except for the bright red roofs of the towers.

"Is that…?" Francis asked, staring at the building.

"Yes," Ludwig confirmed his thoughts "it is the castle of the Evil Warlock."

Francis stared at him in shock. "But it's huge! We can see it all the way from here!"

"That's because it's on a mountain." Arthur replied "After I beat his arse he decided it was a good idea to move to higher ground."

"A mountain…" Well that explained why they could see it from the forest floor.

"It's more of a hill, really." Ludwig said "Look, we'll be able to see the entire thing in a minute."

Sure enough the moment they made past the last group of trees Francis could see the entire structure clearly. The castle was on the peak of a small, rocky hill where no trees seemed to grow. The dark figure of the castle was a stark contrast from the clear blue sky, like a black smudge on a canvas. As they got closer Francis saw a rough narrow path leading to the top.

"This wasn't here before." Arthur examined the path once they had reached the base of the mountain. "Ludwig, you go first this time. Remember to be quiet; we want to have the element of surprise."

Ludwig nodded and carefully began to walk up the path. But he kept losing his footing each time he took a step and his four legs barely fit in the turns. "What is this? I can't walk up!" Each of the centaurs tried as well but to no avail. Even Elizaveta wasn't able to get very far without slipping.

"Y-your highness! We just can't!" one centaur said as he slipped again.

"Arthur-sama," Kiku said "I can try to walk up the path as well. But for your safety it would be wise for you to get off my back first."

"Right, let's see if you can do this." Arthur slid off the unicorn's back and watched anxiously. Kiku took one step, then another, but lost his footing on the third step and tumbled down. "Kiku! Are you alright?"

Kiku gave a feeble whine and didn't lift himself from the ground. "I am sorry for failing you, Arthur-sama. I am not worthy for you to ride any longer."

"No, no, you did your best." Arthur said as he helped the unicorn up. He looked at the path once again, checking to see if anything was different.

"Bollocks!" he cursed "That warlock probably made this path so that anyone with hooves couldn't get up!"

Kiku gasped. "Then that means you'll have to face him alone!"

"No he won't." Elizaveta pointed at Francis "He'll be able to get to the top."

"_Moi_?" Francis stared at her, stunned. "How do you know that I'll be able to climb?"

Arthur shoved him forward. "There's only one way to find out. Go and try it." Francis sent him a panicked look but complied. He carefully took a step on the path. Nothing happened. He tried another, then another, and soon he was further than anyone else had gotten.

"There you go; you won't have to face him alone." Elizaveta smiled.

"I suppose I have no other choice." Arthur sighed. "You all wait for me here until I return. If you don't hear from me after three hours then something is wrong. At that point I order you all to get back to the palace. Roderich will be in charge. And keep a look out for Prince Peter as well, when I free him I'm sending him straight to all of you."

He looked at everyone gathered around him, daring anyone to speak against him. Met with only a solemn silence, he headed up the path past the Frenchman. "Come along Francis, we've got to go."

Francis started to follow him when Elizaveta called his name. He turned and almost didn't catch the sheathed sword she'd tossed at him. "You may need this. Good luck." Francis gave her his most charismatic smile and turned away, hoping no one noticed his shaking hands.

The walk to the top didn't take long. About a half hour later they were at the top and looking around them.

"There's no one around here. They must all be inside." Arthur remarked.

"What an interesting colour he chose for the doors." Francis stared at the tall bright blue doors in front of him. "It really stands out."

"Yes," Arthur replied while looking at the large statue of a cat by the door. "I see his horrid taste in décor hasn't changed. Just look at this thing. It's got the body of a human and a creepy smirk on its face, like it was drawn on or something..."

Suddenly, the ground shook and the two were nearly knocked off their feet. They looked up in shock when the cat statue blinked and turned its gaze on Arthur. It moved one arm, then the other, and got up from the platform it was on. While standing it towered over them and blocked the door. Its odd smirk was unchanging, looking down on them.

"Arthur! D-do something, wave your wand around!" Francis cried out, but Arthur was too shocked to move. The cat statue curled its hand into a fist and raised it above its head, about to strike them. It would have smashed them to pieces if it wasn't for a voice coming from behind it.

"Shinatty, you must not hurt them, aru."

The cat statue, Shinatty, lowered its fist obediently. It moved to the side and bowed, allowing Arthur and Francis to see what had spoken.

A unicorn walked into the sunlight from within the dark depths of the castle. Its long black mane was tied into a ponytail and where a horn should have been there was a silver stub in its place. Even so the unicorn carried itself with pride as it strode towards them.

"Yao!" Arthur's eyes widened "The rumors are true! You really have –"

"Joined the Warlock?" Yao finished. "Yes, I have aru. It's because of his generosity that I now control Shinatty over here."

"Generosity? He's an evil man! How could you turn your back on what's just and good?"

"It's because of you, aru!"

Arthur was stunned. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Yao glared at the Fairy King. "After The War you took away my youngest brother to live with you! Then you somehow convinced Kiku to work for you as well!"

"Kiku chose of his own accord! I had nothing to do with it!"

Yao wouldn't listen. "If that wasn't bad enough I lost my horn fighting for your side! A unicorn without his horn is nothing, aru! You told me you could help, but you did nothing! The other unicorns in Asiana treated me like I was some sort of freak, aru! My other brother and sister wanted to move out too. They said it wasn't because of the horn, but to leave me all alone…"

"I can't give you a new horn! Magic doesn't work that way, I told you. Listen, I'm sorry about your brother but he can come back now. He could've been back a while ago but we couldn't find you."

"But you still took him away! I was alone until the Warlock saw me, aru. He told me that I could live with him, that he'd give me back my pride. He gave me command over Shinatty and promised to never hurt my brothers and sister. He helped me, aru."

"He tricked you!" Arthur yelled. "Don't believe that bastard's lies!"

"Be quiet, aru!" Yao snapped. "I've made my decision a long time ago."

Arthur took out his wand. "So what now? Are you going to have that cat kill us?"

"No, the Warlock wishes to speak with you aru." Yao replied. He stepped to the side and gestured to the door. "He's inside, aru. I will not lay a finger on you just yet."

Arthur didn't move, unsure of what to do. Left with no other choice, he beckoned Francis to follow him inside. As they strode past the unicorn Francis heard Arthur say in a quiet voice "Though he won't admit it, Kiku misses his big brother."

When the doors closed behind them they were engulfed in total darkness. Francis felt Arthur tense so he moved his own hand to the sword handle at his side. A moment later a spotlight came on in front of them and Francis jumped back. A hooded figure came forward into the light, stopping when he was at the center.

"The Evil Warlock," Arthur murmured. Francis gripped the sword tighter.

"Arthur, I have been waiting for you. Whatever took you so long?"

"Cut the chit chat." Arthur hissed. "Where's Prince Peter?"

The Evil Warlock pointed up. Another spotlight came on revealing Peter trapped in a cage. The prince seemed to have been sleeping before being woken up by the bright light. He rubbed his eyes fitfully then spotted his brother on the ground. "Arthur! Arthur, help me! I've been here for days!"

"Peter!" Arthur cried out at the sight of him. He turned his gaze back to the Evil Warlock, glaring at him. "What have you done to him?"

"I promise you that I've done nothing." He replied in an offended tone. "I just needed to make sure he didn't blab my plans out before I could put them in motion."

"Plans? What plans?"

"Now, now, I'll tell you all about that later." The Evil Warlock wagged his finger at him. "You've brought someone along with you, and it would only be the polite to introduce myself."

Francis felt his heartbeat quicken. Of course he'd noticed him! He barely registered Arthur shifting to place himself between the two. But that didn't block Francis' view.

"I didn't think Arthur would bring anyone but his centaurs and fawn, which is why I made sure they wouldn't be able to get up the path. But I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet someone as handsome as you." He reached out a hand and took a step forward.

"Don't come any closer." Arthur pointed his wand at him.

"You wound me with your words! Must you think so little of me?" The Evil Warlock pulled off his hood. "I can assure you that I had no ill intentions in mind. I was simply going to greet him properly."

The Evil Warlock turned to him and Francis' eyes widened as his own face welcomed him with a smile.

[End Chapter 15]

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**The identity of the Evil Warlock has been revealed! I hope I didn't make the ending too confusing for you to understand. **

**The Evil Warlock's plans and his other minions will be revealed later on. Don't expect quick updates, though, it's school time again and we all know how that goes.**

**Please review and tell me what you thought of this strange little twist. Also, congrats to those who guessed right!**


	16. Chapter 16

**It looks like a HERO's work is never done. **

**Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me and I make no profit from this whatsoever.**

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Alfred had never been one to give up when he set his mind on something, so even after getting very little information on Arthur's whereabouts he was determined to find out more. Matthew just happened to get dragged along for the ride.

After leaving Asia, Alfred and Matthew continued their information gathering in Europe. First they tried Lithuania, hoping that since Toris and Alfred were on good terms he'd be willing to tell them what they needed to know. However, Toris had simply muttered something about having a pie in the oven and hastily shoved them out the door. The other Baltics were no help either; Raivis just stood at the door shaking and while Eduard had let them in he tried to hide his blushing face behind his computer screen the entire time.

Next they tried their luck in Italy, but the moment Francis' name left Alfred's lips the two had to run off to avoid being hit in the head by the potatoes Lovino was throwing at them (since "throwing them at perverts is the only they're good for, dammit!").

Matthew thought they were crazy for even thinking of asking Vash for help since they were soon running off his property with bullets whizzing past their ears.

Heading to Greece had proven fruitless as well, as they were greeted by a sleeping Heracles on his porch. After convincing Alfred that waking him up would be rude, Matthew suggested they tried asking Roderich next.

And so the two found themselves in the Austrian's exquisite sitting room, sipping tea from a delicate cup. "Tea again, huh? At least Toris offered us coffee." Alfred took a loud sip from his cup and grimaced. Roderich frowned at his poor manners.

"What a lovely sitting room you have. It's beautifully decorated." Matthew commented, trying to cover up for Alfred's rudeness.

"Thank you, I've had a lot of the furniture for decades. Why buy new ones when these are still perfectly fine?" Roderich took a sip of his own tea.

When he didn't say anything else, Matthew shifted nervously on the old-fashioned couch he was seated on. He looked around the room, trying to find something to talk about. His eyes fell on the grand piano behind the Austrian. "You play the piano, don't you?"

"Yes, it's my favourite past time." Roderich let a small smile slip onto his features. "Would you like to listen?"

"Oh yes, please." Matthew replied.

"Sure!" Alfred nudged Matthew's side and whispered "Great job, now he'll be in a better mood to tell us what Francis did to him!"

Roderich got up and walked over to the piano bench. He stretched his arms, closed his eyes, and placed his fingers on the keys. Soon Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata filled the room. Although Alfred and Matthew had heard him play at parties and social gatherings, the two were still in awe by his talent. His fingers seemed to glide over the keys effortlessly.

"That was amazing!" Alfred clapped his hands when the song ended. "You must not do much else but play the piano if you can do that with your eyes closed!"

"Thank you; it is a hobby of mine." Roderich turned to face them fully and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "So, neither of you have told me why you're really here."

"We told you, we wanted to improve foreign relations." Matthew laughed nervously.

"Idiots," Roderich looked at them from overtop his glasses. "You're obviously here for another reason. Ludwig was visiting when he received a call from Feliciano about his brother kicking you out of the house."

Matthew paled, horrified that they'd been figured out so quickly. Alfred, however, simply laughed and gave Roderich a thumbs up. "Good detective work, we should have asked you to help us out!"

"Help you with what?" Roderich asked as he returned to his seat across from the two.

Alfred leaned forward and looked him in the eye. "Do you know what Francis has been up to lately?"

"Francis?" Roderich asked "How should I know? He lives too far north for me to care what he does in his spare time."

"Actually he lives in the west." Matthew said and Roderich blushed lightly at his mistake.

"Right," Roderich cleared his throat "Well in any case I have no clue what he has been doing lately."

"That's odd, since you're on his list." Alfred hummed, trying to act nonchalant about the whole deal.

"List?" Roderich asked "I had no idea I was on anyone's list."

Digging around in his pockets, Alfred smiled triumphantly when he pulled out a single sheet of paper. "We're talking about this list. We found it while searching through Francis' house."

Roderich took the list and skimmed it, blushing a faint pink when he saw his own name crossed out. "This is utter nonsense." He scoffed, handing the paper back to Alfred. "I have no idea what this list is about. Yes, Francis has come over, but I can assure you that nothing scandalous has happened."

"Are you sure about that, Roderich?"

The three men turned to the doorway at the sound of the voice to see Elizaveta standing there, carrying a box tied with a ribbon and grinning mischievously at her neighbour.

"E-Elizaveta!" Roderich choked out "What are you doing here?"

The Hungarian pranced over to him and handed him the box she was carrying. "I came over to give you this cake I bought at a new bakery. I hear it's very good."

"Thank you, Eliza. You see I have guests at the moment so if you could take this to the kitchen…"

But Elizaveta pushed him aside and turned to speak to the North Americans. "So you want to know what Francis has been doing lately?"

"Yes, we think he may have Arthur and we're kind of worried." Matthew replied.

"I think he's kidnapped Arthur and is holding him prisoner somewhere! Probably so he can molest him anytime he wants or something." Alfred slammed his hand down on the oak table.

Elizaveta tapped her chin with her finger and hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I don't know why, but I can show you what he's been doing."

Roderich paled and placed a hand on her arm "Eliza, I don't think this is the time –"

"Of course it is!" she shrugged him off and clasped her hands together "I knew putting those cameras around your house was a good idea!"

"What!"

"We don't need any visuals." Matthew interrupted, blushing. "It's fine if you just tell us."

Elizaveta pouted. "Fine, I'd have to run home and get the tape anyway."

"So tell us what happened." Alfred urged her.

Completely ignoring Roderich's protests, Elizaveta leaned forward and told them in an excited voice "Francis visited here some few weeks ago. From what the footage showed me, he and Roderich were just chatting when Francis suddenly pounced on him. Roderich tried to fight back but Francis somehow managed to overpower him and soon his shirt was unbuttoned. You can be sure that I dealt with him later on for touching Roderich like that. Then Francis, that bastard, he –"

"Elizaveta, could you please try not to get any blood on my 18th century rug? It's almost impossible to get that cleaned off properly." Roderich cut in. Elizaveta brought her hand to her nose and was startled to find blood.

"Here," Matthew handed her a tissue. She took it and hastily wiped off the offending blood.

"Thank you," she said, tucking the tissue away in case she needed it again. "As I was saying, Francis dragged Roderich off into the hall closet and shut the door. I didn't have a camera set up in there that day so I don't know what happened in there, but…"

Roderich stood up abruptly, effectively silencing the woman. "It's not what you think!" He exclaimed.

Matthew, his face pink, said "I don't think we need to know the details of what happened there anyway."

"No! I insist you know exactly what happened instead of just assuming –"

"It's fine, really. We just needed to know if he took you out of the house or anything. Right, Alfred? Alfred?" Matthew waved his hand in front of his face but got no response.

The American was staring into space, deep in thought. Francis took Roderich into the hall closet without his shirt on. The hall closet. The closet…

"SHIT!" Alfred cried and leapt up, startling everyone in the room.

"Alfred?" Matthew asked worriedly. But Alfred just grabbed his wrist and started to drag him out of the house.

"The closet! I shut the closet door in Arthur's house! They could've been somewhere in there; it's bigger than it looks. Why didn't I think of it before?" He turned to Elizaveta and Roderich, who were staring at them in stunned silence. "Thanks for your help! I won't forget it! We've got to go, a hero is needed!" The door slammed shut and the two were left alone in the house.

Recovering from his initial surprise, Roderich picked up the box of cake he'd put on the table and turned to Elizaveta. "Now that they're gone, would you like to have some of this cake in the kitchen?"

"Oh yes, please." She smiled at him.

"Fantastic. And while we're eating you can tell me all about the cameras you've placed around my house, hmm?"

Elizaveta giggled despite the angry look he gave her. "Of course Roddy, darling, whatever you say."

[End Chapter 16]

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**I figured Roderich needed more time in the spotlight, while Elizaveta needs to send out copies of that video. Yeah, I know you're thinking it too. I hope I got Roderich's character right, I don't think I did him justice as a fawn.**

**Leave a review and tell me what you thought!  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Laaaate. But the wordcount makes up for it, right? Right? Agree or the Evil Minions will get you~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers or any of the characters.**

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"My my, Arthur, I didn't realize how handsome your friend is."

"Shut it, wine-freak." Arthur seethed. The Evil Warlock simply laughed and tossed his blond hair over his shoulder.

Francis watched them as though from afar. He was the Evil Warlock. Or rather, the Evil Warlock was his double in this world. His magical, powerful, evil double. But why had no one said anything? Why hadn't anyone noticed?

"Arthur…" Francis muttered, not moving from his spot.

The fairy king turned to him, his look of anger melting away at the forlorn expression on Francis' face. "I'm sorry Francis, but I don't get to choose who's who. Even if could choose, I would never have –"

"I know you wouldn't." Francis interrupted. "But still…it's quite a shock. Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"I didn't know." Arthur admitted. "I didn't even notice the similarities between everyone else before you mentioned it in the lake! And even then how could I tell you around everyone else?"

"Why did no one else notice then? Is everyone as oblivious as you are?"

"Maybe it's because you don't belong here." Arthur replied "You have nothing to tie you to this world since you have no magic. That's why I couldn't make the connections between the people here and the people back home. Be thankful for it, otherwise everyone would have killed you the minute you stepped into the room."

"Yes, the small ray of sunshine on a rainy London day." Francis said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

A small chuckle interrupted the two. "Now may not be the best time to have a private conversation, no?" The Evil Warlock said as he eyed Francis. "I don't know what's going on or what sort of magic this is, but I'm sure that this copy is nowhere near as good the original. I will still defeat you, Arthur."

"Copy? How dare you!" Francis said angrily "No one calls Francis Bonnefoy a copy of anybody!"

Arthur placed a hand on his arm to hold him back. "Calm down, Francis. You can't take him on by yourself."

"I hardly think so." The Evil Warlock sneered.

Arthur glanced up at the cage where Prince Peter sat. "Why have you captured Peter?" he demanded.

"He knew more than he should have." The Evil Warlock simply said.

"What do you mean?"

Peter called down from the cage. "I heard them in the forest and they saw me! I swear it was an accident! I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!" The Prince let out a chocked sob.

"I told you your eavesdropping would get you into trouble one day!" Arthur was ready to reprimand him he but caught himself. He could scold the boy after they were all safe and sound. "But don't worry, I'll get you out of here, I promise!"

"What a touching brotherly moment." The Evil Warlock cooed. "Such a shame I'll have to break it up soon."

Arthur turned to him angrily. "I demand you explain this plan of yours at once!"

The Evil Warlock laughed "You demand me to? Who are you to demand anything of me? You aren't above me! Unlike your servants and loyal subjects, I can do as I please without your consent." He spat at them angrily. "But I pity that you'd have come all this way just to die."

"Tell us what you plan to do! If you're going to kill us then it should be no problem then!"

"I'm sure you are familiar with a popular dish called escargot?" The Evil Warlock said after a moment.

"Escargot?" Francis repeated "You mean snails? You have those here too?"

"Oddly enough, yes we do. Everyone seems to love them here, especially a certain vain hooded freak." Arthur replied, never taking his eyes off of his nemesis.

The Evil Warlock disregarded the insult. "I had my minions gather a large supply of them for me. We had to, ah, negotiate with a few people but they seemed fine with it." He snickered and Francis knew that those people didn't get off so easily. "Once I had enough I stewed them in a special potion I created myself. I'll send them out to the public tonight under a borrowed name and once the people ingest it their minds and souls shall be mine!"

Arthur gasped "W-what? You can't mean –"

"Yes, mind control! Terribly cliché, but most effective. With my magic and skill I'll have them under my control in no time and they'll happily hand the land over to me." The Evil Warlock cackled, his blue eyes bright with vengeance.

"Land? That's what all this is for, land?"

"Why else would I be doing this? So I can get more friends?" The Evil Warlock hissed. "You're more of a fool than I thought. But no matter, I needn't waste anymore time explaining my reasons to you."

"I won't let you get away with this! I defeated you once and I can do it again!"

"Can you?" The Evil Warlock smirked "Let's see how you two fair against my apprentices."

He spread out his arms and shouted "Rise my minions! It is time!"

There was a sudden swirl of lights so bright that Francis had to turn away. When he looked back again he saw that two cloaked figures had appeared on either side of the Evil Warlock. When they looked up he couldn't suppress his gasp of surprise. Alfred and Matthew stared back at him with devilish smiles on each their faces.

"You called us, master?" Alfred asked, bowing to the Evil Warlock.

"Yes," the Evil Warlock pointed at Francis and Arthur "those are the two you have to take care of."

Matthew squinted at them "That one looks a lot like you, sir. Didn't you say only King Arthur would be here?"

"Apparently he brought along a friend. But they shouldn't be a problem for the two of you."

"Of course they won't." Alfred grinned and stepped forward "You ready, Mattie?"

"I always have been." Matthew replied, stepping forward so he stood next to Alfred.

The Evil Warlock gave Arthur and Francis one last smile before turning away with a flourish. "Finish them."

There was a flurry of movement as Francis fumbled with his sword while Alfred leapt forward towards Arthur. The wizard apprentice curled his hand into a fist to hit him but Arthur moved out of the way just in time and the tiled floor cracked under Alfred's fist.

"What the…?" Francis stared at the cracked floor with a mixture of shock and horror.

"Super strength," the Evil Warlock explained from somewhere in the darkness "it's Alfred's skill. He's very good with everything but it seems that strength is what he is gifted with."

"We'll see how well brawn fairs against brain, then." Arthur replied, pointing his wand at Alfred.

"Bring it on, fuzzy brows." Alfred sneered.

Francis watched as the two clashed, Arthur dodging Alfred's hits while trying to send spells at him. It was after a moment he realized that Matthew was still lurking around. He turned back to where he'd last stood, but no one was there.

"Boo."

"AAARRGHH!" Francis jumped and turned around, sword pointing in front of him, only to see no one.

"Looking for me?" Francis looked to his left and saw Matthew materialize in front of him.

"W-what…?"

"Matthew, on the other hand, has the gift of invisibility." The Evil Warlock said "He can disappear and reappear at the drop of a dime. He was wondering why no one ever seemed to see him until I came along and told him of his talent."

"But master can see me." Matthew said, circling Francis "Master could always see me. He saw me for who I was when no one else could. It's all thanks to him that I have control over my power now. I am indebted to him."

Francis tried not to let the fear show in his eyes as he turned to follow him, keeping the sword pointed at the apprentice. "I'm sure there are many ways you could repay him that don't resort to violence."

Matthew shook his head. "I'm afraid not. So goodbye, clone of Master." With a small chuckle he disappeared once again.

Francis turned around frantically, eyes searching for the wizard apprentice. He saw Matthew materialize to his right out of the corner of his eye and jerked forward when a red light flew at him. Matthew growled in anger before disappearing. Another flash of red came at him and Francis just narrowly avoided it.

"Will you fight me or simply dodge my attacks like a coward?" Matthew hissed, his voice reverberating around Francis so he couldn't tell where the voice was coming from.

"If dodging your attacks will keep you busy and me alive, I'll keep at it." Francis shouted in reply. He couldn't tell him the real reason he wouldn't fight him properly. Though he knew they were not the same person, the apprentice looked far too much like his Matthew back home. He couldn't bring himself to attack him, even if hate and anger were all that filled those violet eyes.

Lost in his thoughts he failed to keep track of Matthew, and by the time he noticed a flash of blond hair it was too late. He felt a searing pain shoot up his left leg and stumbled to the ground. Matthew appeared and looked down at him. "Pathetic. Poor Arthur must be regretting bringing you along. You can't even save your own life, how could you save another?"

Francis glared at him, clutching his leg. The cut wasn't too deep, nothing like the other wounds he'd had in the past, but it still stung. He heard a loud thump and turned to see Alfred's fist in the wall, Arthur crouching nearby and breathing heavily. Francis knew that if Arthur didn't get an attack in soon he wouldn't last against the strong apprentice. He had to help him; Arthur was his only way out of this world. But he had to beat Matthew first before he could help him.

He could hear Matthew muttering something under his breath and knew that he didn't have much time. Francis' eyes found his sword lying not too far away and reached for it. When his fingers closed around the cool metal handle he closed his eyes and swung his arm, striking out. He heard Matthew cry out and Francis snapped his eyes open in panic; he hadn't meant to hurt the man too badly. But all he had managed to do was give him a shallow cut in the cheek.

Alfred had heard his brother's cry and whipped around towards him, worry creasing his face. "Mattie!"

When Alfred turned away from him Arthur saw his chance. He pointed his wand at the apprentice and shouted out a spell. A stream of blue light came from the tip of the wand and hit Alfred on the back of the head. He fell forward with a thud, unconscious. Matthew roared in anger and made to lunge at him but Francis was quick. He hit the back of his head with the sword's handle and Matthew fell on top of Alfred.

Arthur stepped over to them and waved his wand. Ropes appeared and bound the two apprentices' hands and feet together. "There, that should keep them knocked out for a while."

"NO!" shouted the Evil Warlock, his face contorted with rage "How could this have happened? I had trained them so well!"

"Give it up!" Arthur replied, looking the Evil Warlock in the eye. "We have defeated them. Nothing else stands between you and me!"

A look of panic flashed on the Evil Warlock's face before a smile spread across his face. "Don't be so sure yet, Arthur dear. Don't think they're the only minions I've acquired over the years."

Arthur stood straight and confident. "Bring him out, then. Have others fight your battles for you like the coward you are."

"You'll regret that." The Evil Warlock snarled. He clapped his hands together and called out into the darkness. "It's your turn, come forth and finish them off!"

Francis braced himself, expecting more wizards to appear out of nowhere. But all was silent. Suddenly, the ground began to shake beneath his feet. Short, little accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

_Thud. _

_Thud._

_Thud._

The Evil Warlock laughed maniacally and opened his mouth to taunt them, but whatever he said was lost to the sounds of the footsteps coming closer. Francis stepped closer to Arthur, gripping the sword in his hand. Suddenly the footsteps stopped and another creature had emerged out of the shadows. Francis and Arthur slowly looked up to see a sixteen feet tall giant smiling down at them.

"_Kolkolkol…_"

Francis tried not to let a squeak of terror escape his mouth. He glanced over at Arthur but the Brit seemed just as frightened as he was. The giant continued to laugh its strange laugh, emitting a dark aura while smiling.

"This is big fellow is Ivan." The Evil Warlock said, as though he was introducing a friend. The giant gave them a wave and tossed an end of his scarf over his shoulder. "I found him wandering around the mountains one day on my walk. He seemed a little lonely, being up so high in a cold place, so I invited him to come join me."

Francis' mouth opened and closed, not sure what to say. He turned to Arthur who was also staring at the giant in disbelief. "What do we do now? How could we ever beat that thing?"

Arthur didn't answer for a moment but blinked a couple of times and stood up to his full height. "I don't know how, but we'll think of something. We can't just give up now! Peter is counting on us and I refuse to let him down."

It may have taken him a lot of screw ups but he's finally getting how to be a good big brother, thought Francis. He too stood up straight and held his sword up. "Then let us fight that monster together."

"You may have beaten my apprentices, but I'll be damned if you beat him." The Evil Warlock looked up at Ivan "Go and finish them!"

Francis felt adrenaline rush through his veins. Before Ivan even had a chance to move he was running at full speed towards him, brandishing his sword and shouting. Once he was close enough he swung his sword at the giant's ankles with all his might and grinned when he felt the metal cut through skin. He looked up at, expecting to see a pained look on his face. But Ivan just looked down at his ankle, expression slightly shocked.

"Ouch." He said, watching blood trickle from the shallow cut. "You're going to pay for that."

"Arthur!" Francis yelped, nearly dropping the sword as he hastily backed away "_Mon dieu_,fight him! I don't want to die here!"

"You idiot, what the hell made you think that was going to work?" Arthur shouted. He pointed his wand at the giant and muttered a spell. A flash of green shot out and wound itself around Ivan's legs. The giant struggled for a bit, unable to move forward, before giving one huge tug and the rope dissolved into air.

"What happened?"

"My spell, it didn't work. It wasn't strong enough." Arthur said in disbelief. "I've never fought a giant before, but still…"

Ivan stepped towards them, still smiling with his arms outstretched. "I'm going to squeeze both of you until juice comes out, da?"

Francis clutched onto Arthur's arm, sure that this was the end. He would die here in this strange land at the hands of a giant and he hadn't slept with anyone in days! He shut his eyes, not wanting to see it happen. "_Au revoir,_ Arthur. It was nice knowing you." He said as the giant's hands got closer.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, ARU!"

The castle doors slammed open and in strode Yao, his black mane flying in all directions with Shinatty following after him.

"Yao!" The Evil Warlock greeted him "How good of you to join us! You can help Ivan with our two guests."

"Oh, I'm here to help alright." Yao said, glaring. "But not to help you, aru."

The Evil Warlock blanched. "W-what?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't work for you anymore." Yao raised a hoof and pointed to Ivan. "Shinatty, ATTACK."

The giant stone cat gave him a swift nod and charged at Ivan, who moved away from Arthur and Francis to defend himself. Shinatty raised a fist and punched Ivan square in the jaw, causing him to stumble back.

"Yao!" Arthur gasped when the unicorn approached them. "What made you change your mind?"

"Kiku's waiting down there, isn't he?" Yao replied, not looking at him. "We can't let him and Peter down, that's not what big brothers do."

Arthur looked at him in silence for a moment before grinning. "Glad you're back, Yao. We've missed you."

Yao didn't reply, instead taking to directing Shinatty's attacks against Ivan. Though not as tall as the giant, Shinatty was a powerful opponent and its eerie grin seemed to be mocking him as punch after punch hit its mark.

"No! Ivan!" the Evil Warlock started towards his minion before Arthur blocked his path.

"Let the two of them fight." Arthur said, tapping his wand against his chin "You're my opponent now."

The Evil Warlock grinned and rolled up his sleeves. "Bring it on, your highness."

[End Chapter 17]

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**Yes! I finally got to introduce the rest of the Allies. I hope you enjoyed liked their powers, I knew that Matthew simply had to be a warlock of sorts just for that. Ivan as a giant seemed to be the role made for him. **

**More things will be explained in the next chapter. Excuse the lateness of this one and the possible lateness of the next. Life just got a lot busier. Ugh.**

**Now leave a review or Mattie may just show up at the foot of your bed tonight~ Not that you'll see him of course.**


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